


Finding Home

by FujiDawn



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: BAMF Loki, Depression, Implied Mpreg, Issues, Loki Feels, Loki's Kids, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-17
Updated: 2013-10-23
Packaged: 2017-12-26 21:50:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 46,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/970663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FujiDawn/pseuds/FujiDawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Loki is defeated, they notice something has changed.<br/>When he is transported off, there is something that bothers Tony.<br/>When Thor activates the Tesseract, Tony can only stare at the God of Chaos, Mischief and Fire and ask himself what the hell happened.</p><p>Where the Avengers grow to be the strangest family ever, and find that sometimes second chances are worth it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hell, I am so sucking up this whole Avengers-Fandom. Help, please.  
> I'm really irritated how often I've watched the Phase 1 movies already in the last few weeks oO  
> This whole monster grew out of one single scene I had in my head, and I fear it's really really dumb and not very well written because it completely went away from me. It wrote itself without me helping.  
> Yeah, Loki's pretty OOC, I think, but I like him this way. I can't write Tony if i wanted to, and Natasha's too soft. Damn.  
> Be warned.
> 
> If someone volunteers to read Beta, that would be wonderful! I have someone for short fics, but this one is roughly 74pages. Feel free to speak the word! I'm no native speaker, and I really have problems with the damned ' s/ 's ' thingies because the spellcheck doesn't get it either.

 

 

 

„If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now.“

  

 

Tony wasn't sure why he raided his alcohol stash for Thor's little brother, _who had tried to conquer his planet not two hours earlier._

He really didn't. But hey, it's not as if he was known for a clear train of thought.

Loki didn't put up a fight as S.H.I.E.L.D came to arrest him. He was almost docile and let himself be manhandled by the agents who were sent for him.

Thor was awfully silent, almost unbearably so. He didn't let his eyes wander from his brother, watched as the agents cuffed his hands together, saw how they put the muzzle on him.

Loki didn't say a word. Tony was sure that he planned something again already.

As S.H.I.E.L.D. dragged him out of the tower, the billionaire got a better look at his enemies face, and he almost lost his composure at the blatant loss of emotion on the fair features.

Loki's eyes were blank, void of any trace of feelings, gazing at something that only he could see.

And then the Sorcerer was gone.

 

Thor excused himself to his room, while the others sat themselves on Tony's couch and relaxed a bit.

“Shit, that was close.”, Clint said with a small smile.

Natasha huffed. “It's over, isn't it? Be glad.”

Bruce winced as he saw the wrecked floor.

“I'm sorry, Tony. I know how much you liked the marble...”

The genius shrugged it off.

“Hey bro, not a problem. I just get Thor to pay for it. If it wasn't for you, his little evil brother would still be on his rampage and smash more than just my interior.”

But he couldn't think about anything besides that really creepy look in Loki's face as he was forced out of Tony's tower. It was as if there was nothing left of the God, who had looked at him with so much power, with anger, and with annoyed arrogance before he threw Tony out through the window.

The green eyes had been empty as he walked out of his door, and Tony wasn't entirely sure if his earlier deduction was right. Perhaps Loki did not actually plan anything.

 

They got to bed early that night. They needed the rest, and the time for themselves. Planet earth was rescued, the Chitauri were gone, even if New York had been sorely damaged.

“Jarvis, show me the recording of the arrest.”

“ _Of course, sir.”_

Tony watched the footage again and again, taking in every reaction of his Team mates and Loki in and analysing it. He knew, he fucking knew, that something wasn't right.

Because if the black haired enemy he fought truly was as ambitious and arrogant as he had sounded talking with him – okay, make that arguing – there was no way to explain this utterly _human_ being who had left in cuffs and a muzzle.

He needed a drink.

 

As it turned out, neither of them could sleep that night.

“I thought you wanted to cuddle up and hit the pillow?”, he asked his Team as he left his room.

They sat on the couch – again – and were silent.

Thor sat in an armchair, elbows on his knees, chin propped up on his hands. He looked very serious and it didn't suit his face at all, Tony thought. That face was made to look happy.

Bruce gazed at the door as if it would come alive. Clint and Natasha leaned on each other, his hand gently stroking her hair. The Billionaire swore they were a couple. They were so damn sweet to each other.

Steve just sat there, seemingly in his own world.

Tony sighed and poured himself a scotch, before sitting down besides the red-haired assassin.

They were silent a long time.

 

“I will travel home to Asgard in the morn.”

Thor's voice sounded nothing like he had before. There was so much sadness and betrayal in the big blue eyes of the Norse God, and it almost broke Tony's heart. Damn, he was going soft.

But then again, he had a soft spot for big cuddly bears who could hold their liquor and fight.

“I will take my broth-, Loki with me, and he will face Asgardian justice by my father.” He looked pained beyond belief.

It must hurt to be stabbed in the back by kin, and Tony felt his own memories of betrayal rising.

Obadiah Stane had done that to him, too.

“Are you sure he won't escape?”, Clint asked.

Thor nodded.

“The bindings that hold him are distorting his magic. He can't flee this.”

“I assume you'll take the Tessaract with you?”, Bruce asked and the God nodded.

“Father will secure it in his vault. It will never cause trouble again.”

Tony handed him his drink, and Thor emptied it without a glance. But he didn't breath a word of Loki's lost look. It was not his place.

 

 

They went back to their rooms as the sun rose, to shower and change. Fury awaited them at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, to get rid of the nasty villain who brought an alien invasion to New York.

They packed up the shackled Loki and the Tessaract and were on their way to the Central Park, where the two Gods would leave.

Tony couldn't help it. He stared at the Sorcerer, waiting for the piece to fall in place and _understanding_ what exactly had made him so...

so...

... alone.

Brown eyes never met green ones, because Loki didn't open them once on their way. He just sat there, bound and gagged, face blank.

As the car stopped, Thor led him out of the Van and pushed him to the lake.

Loki looked at him, but it was as if he didn't see him. Bruce switched the blue Cosmic Cube into the Asgardian Box that would bring the Gods home and handed it to Thor. The Blonde offered the second handle to his brother, who reached for it without a second glance, but before his fingers could grip it, his eyes were _alive_ once more.

 

 

 

Loki stared into nothingness as Thor propped the Tesseract on his arm, for him to reach.

His hand went to obey, but in this second, a warm wind settled on his face and his eyes were drawn to the surface of the lake, where a giant snake arose.

His heart gave a painful throb and his hand fell to his side as his body froze.

 

 

 

Tony had never seen such a change of expression that fast ever before. As the others gasped, he could only stare at Loki's face, full of emotion, eyes widened and body stiff.

Bruce, Steve and Natasha positioned themselves in front of Thor and Loki, getting ready for an attack, while Clint readied his bow.

The younger God made a tiny step forward, before getting himself under control. His eyes shone with despair, longing and... Tony wasn't sure, but to him, it almost seemed it was _love._

“Beware, friends, this is the Serpent of Midgard. It is dangerous.”, boomed Thor and went for Mjölnir.

Loki made the tiniest sound at that. Nobody heard him. His eyes were impossibly wide as he watched the snake coming nearer.

“Thor, you have to _leave_! It could be here to free Loki!”, Steve urged, and as if to prove him right, the God took another step forward. Thor gripped his upper arm, but Loki did not register it. He just stared at the snake with these green eyes, and Tony could see he was barely holding himself back.

As the serpent shifted it's form to appear as a human, Thor shoved the handle in Loki's hand.

“We shall see each other again, my friends. Farewell.”

He twisted his side and the Tesseract flared to life.

Tony couldn't believe his own eyes as he saw the single tear that rolled down an alabaster cheek.

Then they were gone.

The genius forced himself to look at the snake-man, who still came closer. Natasha held out her gun and spoke up.

“Don't move. We'll get you down so fast you won't know what hit you.”

The man stopped and raised his hands.

“ _You don't have to be afraid of me. I won't harm you.”_

All of them straightened up, because the voice just fucking appeared in their heads.

The black haired man began walking again, steady and unafraid, until he was only a few feet away.

“I am Jörmungandr, Serpent of Midgard, and second born son of Loki Odinson.”


	2. Chapter 2

As they arrived in Asgard, Loki fell to his knees and hoped that the searing pain in his heart would cease. He took controlled, deep breaths before trying – and failing – to shield his face with a mask again. How was it possible for Jörmungandr to obtain human appearance?

“I see you have returned home.”, Odin Allfather spoke, as he watched them.

“We have the Tesseract, Father. It must be stored safely else it will cause harm again.”

Odin nodded. “I shall hide it so no one may be able to obtain it.”

Then he came closer and embraced his oldest son in a warm hug.

“It's good to have you back, Thor. You were sorely missed.”

Loki felt another twitch of pain at that statement. Naturally, his foster brother would be missed. He himself was nothing short of a burden. But he would be gone soon. Accepting this morphed his face to be void again.

“Loki.”, the Allfather said. He knelt down and lifted the head before him. The God of Mischief looked at him, but Odin wasn't sure he saw him.

“Loki, you caused a lot of trouble. We have to punish you, else the royal family will be looked down on. Please don't put up a fight.”, he beseeched him.

Loki exhaled and nodded. There was nothing more to do.

Odin weaved a charm on his cuffs.

“Thor, bring him down. His magic is sealed off, he won't be able to do anything. Make sure he is looked after.”

The big blonde nodded and gently helped his brother up.

“Come on, brother.”

 

 

The cell they put him in was not small, but it wasn't big either. A single, worn-looking bed stood at one wall, light shone in through a little window high on the ceiling. Loki was allowed to lose the thick leather coat before he was shackled up again. Someone brought him water and food.

“Do you require anything else, brother?”, Thor asked, watching the younger god closely. When Loki sat in one corner of the bed, knees to his chin, arms swung around, an his head buried between his limbs, Thor sighed and left.

 

“Wait. You are _what_?!”

Tony almost snorted at the incredulous tone Clint sported.

“I am Loki Odinson's son. He is my father.”

Yeah, that seemed plausible to the genius. The black hair, eyes as green as his father's, the same lean and sleek build.

“So, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be lying in the oceans, waiting for World's end?”, Tony asked lightly. Of course he knew the old Norse legends. After meeting Thor, he needed to know how to tease him properly.

“Not all the tales of legend are true. I am watching and guarding Midgard. I am the cause for global streams. I shield your planet from beyond the seas.”

Okay, that was new.

“Wow. So, why _are_ you here? Surely there must be something you wanted to do?”

“Tony!”, Natasha hissed, looking at him like he grew a second head.

He shrugged. “What? It's not as if he's done anything until now, has he? Why not ask a bit, I mean, come on, he is the stuff of _legends_!”

Bruce snorted.

“Yeah, as if having the prince of thunder himself wasn't already enough.”

“Hey, he's not here any longer, so let me satisfy my curiosity elsewhere! So, Jör... err, Son of Loki, care to tell us what you want?”

The stranger looked at them very serious.

“My father needs help.”

 

 

Almost two months after the alien invasion in Midgard, Thor was ready to murder someone. Loki was in the dungeons, kept under the magic-absorbing cuffs and the muzzle. It hurt him, because even if his younger brother was not as good as he should be, that was no treatment to be inflicted on a _Prince._

There hadn't been word of a sentence yet, but the God could not stand to see Loki like that again and again, never answering his questions or even looking at him. It made him feel hopelessly alone.

The door to his chamber open end and his father approached him.

“Tomorrow, a punishment will be declared to Loki. Please go and inform him. He needs to know.”

The blonde nodded.

“How severe will this punishment be?”, he asked, dread filling him.

Odin didn't answer, he just left the room.

Thor could have roared at that. How could he tell his brother, _his friend_ , that he could be tortured for eternity for causing that invasion? The warrior wasn't sure he could do this a second time.

 

 

“Nat, could you pass me the wrench?”, Tony asked, as he worked on his newest suit. He heard a deep sigh before the tool dangled in front of his stomach. He grinned widely.

“Thank you, darling. Now, what drives you to see me? I mean, besides my charming personality and my god-like body?”

The russian growled at his words, but it seemed she had important things to say, because he was still alive.

Not that she would ever kill him now. The Avengers (minus Thor) had settled down in Stark Tower shortly after the turmoil with Loki and were now the national heroes who fought back the bad guys over and over.

They had become friends over the last few weeks, and they trusted each other blindly. It was like some very weird, but non the less loving family. Tony had never had something like that, and he clung to them like he would just drop dead if only one of them would leave. Not that they knew _that._ He kept it to himself.

He just needed them in his life after Pepper and he had broken up. They had known it wouldn't last, but they had tried and ultimately failed. It was hard for both of them, but it was better this way. They loved each other, just not enough to handle all that happened. The Avengers were his crutch, and he wouldn't make it if they were to leave him.

“Thor has sent message. He's visiting.”

Tony jubilated inwardly. Hell, he had missed the god. He missed all the little things he didn't knew and had to be explained, and he sure as hell missed the booming, confident voice who declared that they would always be kin to him.

“Alright, just give me a date and a time.”

Natasha gripped his arm and waited for him to look at her.

“He's waiting upstairs. He arrived five minutes after we saw his note on the kitchen table.”

Tony stared at her.

“Jarvis, why didn't you tell me? Are you out of control or something?”, he pouted.

“ _You ordered not to be disturbed by anything, Sir.”_

“Yeah, but this is _Thor_ , you can't just let him sit there on his own!”

“ _I'm sorry, Mr. Stark.”_ , and naturally, Jarvis sounded more snobbish than sorry.

“Demented AI, I should reboot you.”, the genius mumbled before closing his tablets and holograms off.

“Well, let's go.”

 

 

“Thor, buddy! How'ya doin'?”

The God looked up and Tony could have slapped himself. The happiness hadn't returned. He wasn't well.

“Friend Tony, it is good to see you again. However, I come to you in time of trouble and I need your guidance.”

“What has happened? Has something gone wrong?”, Steve asked, while fumbling to mute the TV.

Clint leaned on a wall, while Nat and Bruce sat besides Thor, sandwiching him.

The blond let out a deep and pained sigh.

“Tomorrow, Odin Allfather will speak the sentence against my brother. He sent me to tell him, but I can't find it in me to tell him he'll most likely be punished by endless torture. I had to see something like that once, and I won't allow for it to happen again.”

Bruce shot Steve a look.

“Yeah, we know. Strapped to a boulder with the entrails of his kid, poison dripping on him, was it?”, Clint asked crudely and got boxed by Natasha.

Thor winced.

“Almost. I don't know any more what he did to deserve this, but I can't let it happen again. And no, it wasn't his kid. It were the innards of a wild animal. Loki has not yet fathered any children.”

All of them looked at the Norse God with shameless interest.

“Please do say that again, Break Point.”, Tony asked.

“Loki has no children. He never lay with a maiden, nor with a male, he was never married and he certainly would have told me if any of that had happened.”

“Ugh, that was something I sure as hell did NOT need to know.”, Steve said, cheeks tinted red with embarrassment.

“Are you really sure, Thor?”, Bruce asked.

“Of course! We were very close before... we were close.”

They looked at each other and reran the day Thor and Loki had left for Asgard.

 

“ _What? D'you think we're going to rescue him from prison for his attempted try to take over Earth?”, Clint asked, eyes hard and unforgiving. He couldn't forget that the God had forced him to obey._

_Jörmungandr shook his head._

“ _This is not what I meant. He is lonely, very much so, and he needs people to lean on.”_

_The archer snorted._

“ _Yeah, count me out, will ya'?”_

“ _Just listen a second, Legolas.”, Tony said. Perhaps this could actually explain what he had seen._

“ _Please, go on.”_

_Loki's son glanced thankfully at him._

“ _My father was never very popular, as he is prone to magic and doesn't like to fight as the other Aesir do. He was named God of Lies and Mischief for a reason, but until recently he was more shy and invisible than present in Asgards palace. He created chaos, I won't deny, but it was never harmful or really dangerous. He knows how to weave a lie so convincingly that now one ever could tell, although most of his lies were meant to benefit Thor, or Asgard. However, he was always compared to the prince of Asgard, and he never was good enough for anyone to accept him.”_

_Clint rolled his eyes._

“ _Yeah, big bad guy because nobody loved him. Boo-hoo.”_

_Natasha boxed him painfully in his side, while Steve sent him a silent look._

“ _What about you? Or your siblings?”, Bruce asked, intrigued._

_The man sighed._

“ _All of us are prophesied to bring death. To Odin Allfather, to the realms, to everything. You humans call it “Götterdämmerung”, or “Ragnarök”. He enchanted his first born, Sleipnir, to appear as an eight-legged horse as Odin and his knights came to search for the child which was said to bring death to Asgard.”_

 

“Thor, what about the horse of your father? Sleipnir?”, Steve asked, cautious.

The God shrugged.

“Loki gifted it to him as a foal. He said he had found it in a meadow.”

“Has he been acting strange?”, Nat wanted to know.

“If I recall correctly, he had not been to the palace in months and appeared rather odd, yes. He looked worn and tired, and as we took the foal to the stables, he looked sad. But what does it matter at the moment? How can I stand in front of him as bearer of such tragic news?”

Tony cleared his throat.

“Jarv, please show us the footage from Jör.”

“ _Of course, sir.”_

The TV came alive and Thor watched in horror as Loki _cried_ at the sight of the Serpent. (Security feeds - Tony had got his hands on practically _everything.)_

“I did not... how is it... oh, brother...”

Tony stopped the video.

“He told us Loki's his dad. I don't know about you, but it certainly seems that our Rudolf has it bad for the Snake.”

“But why hasn't he told me? I could have helped him!”, Thor cried out.

“Perhaps you should ask him. Clear whatever you missed.”, Natasha said.

Clint huffed.

“Perhaps he wasn't it his right mind when he attacked. He surely was crazy enough.”, he muttered. Tony had shown them the pictures of the fight, the empty look, the _tears_. Maybe, _maybe_ , Loki was not at fault for everything.

Thor stood up.

“I have to leave and talk to him. Please excuse me.”

 

 

It was so cold. Everything was cold. He shivered, but he did not think it important enough to change something.

Nothing was important any more for him. He sighed as the well known footsteps arrived in front of his cell. His eyes closed as the door was opened and leaned his head back on the wall.

“Brother, I must speak with you.”

Loki almost laughed, but he did not care enough. He just remained impassive. Thor surely would leave soon enough.

“Brother. Loki. Why did you never tell me of your children?”

His body froze, his eyes shot open, but he did not dare to look at the blonde.

“Why hid you Sleipnir in plain sight, why sent Jörmungandr to Midgard?”

Loki's heart raced and could have stopped a beat or two.

“Please, brother. I need to know, for tomorrow you'll be sentenced.”

The Sorcerer exhaled deeply at that. It would have an end. Finally.

“It does not matter any more.”, he croaked, voice raw.

“If you have been wronged, we need to get you out of here. Soon.”, Thor spoke, urging.

The black haired god stifled a laugh.

“If I desired to get out, I would already be gone.”, he said blankly, showing Thor his shackled hands. They both knew that the magic in them should cancel his own, but as the older one blinked, the cuffs opened and fell to the floor. He gasped.

“How?! Father sealed your powers!”

A sigh answered him.

“It seems this cannot bind me. I was never stripped of my powers, not with that gag on, and Odins spell tickled almost nicely. But he could not seal my magic.”

“Then why are you still here? Flee, else your punishment will be severe! They'll likely torture you again!”

Loki gazed at his foster-brother.

“Don't over exert your brain, Thor. Torture will not happen to me. They'll get rid of me once and for all. I'd like to think that tomorrow, I will be executed.”, he said calmly, like nothing could worry him. Thor roared, panic taking over.

“Why should they? Your crimes aren't that heavy!”

The sorcerer chuckled lightly.

“I have led the Frost Giants here, attempted to conquer a realm under _your_ protection and tried to murder the _Prince_ of Asgard, more than once. I sure think they are. Not to forget that I had succeeded in my attempt to extinguish Jötunheim if you had not stopped it.”

“Then leave, brother! You have to flee!”

“You do not understand? I'm here on my own, free will. If they shall execute me, I will not stop them. Why do you think I let go in the first place? Do you truly think I desire life any more?”

Thor ruffled his hair and paced up and down the cell, clearly irritated by the calm demeanour Loki sported.

“You are not in your right mind, brother.”

The younger god laughed at that.

“Don't you see, Thor? I'm _broken._ Utterly, completely broken. There is nothing left for me in any of the nine realms. I am damaged beyond repair, and I am so _empty_ inside.”, he said, choking on his own words.

“Then you will leave your children alone?”

Loki laughed almost painfully.

“My children won't recognize me, if they were to ever lie their eyes on me again. Sleipnir has no memories of me being his father. Perhaps you remember that I was the only one who could calm him down if he misbehaved and panicked? He heard my voice and smelled me, but as of now, he does not remember anything of this. He is forever bound in the state of a mere horse. I cannot believe Jörmungandr was able to shift in a human body, for I spelled him to appear as a snake, thus leaving him unable to attain human features. I sent him to earth not three days after his birth because of a prophesy made by the Queen herself. The Allfather and his knights were already searching for my child. They would have killed him.”, Loki rasped, tears stinging in his eyes.

Thor sat down besides him.

“Why should Father kill any of your children? They were his grandchildren...”

Bitterness filled his brother.

“They were destined to kill him, to destroy Asgard, to bring the end. I watched Odin with my magic, and he knew that they were my children. The Queen told him. He searched for us regardless and gave orders to slay my babes on sight.”

“Father would never do something like that.”, Thor accused him.

Loki laughed huskily.

“Remember the punishment I got? The boulder and the poison? He killed my _sons_ in front of me and gutted my youngest so I could be strapped to that stone.”

Tears now falling freely from his face, Loki thought of all his lost children and how _happy_ he himself would be to see them again when he was to be executed in the morrow.

Thor was silenced for a long time before he spoke up again.

“The Man of Iron told me of two more children of yours. Will you tell me about them? I want to know of my nieces and nephews.”

Loki had no reason not to. This would kill Thor and perhaps break him as thorough as he himself was broken.

“Hela reigns the underworld. She is the only one I could almost safe. I conquered her a realm to rule, and Odin will never lay eyes on here before his own death, and then he will be hers to follow. But she can't leave her place, so I'll gladly embrace death if that means I can see her again.”

He shuddered before he thought about his third son and drew in a ragged breath to steady himself.

“My third born son was captured not one hour after his birth. I was too weak to safe him, so I gave him a form to protect himself. But he, too, was weakened, and the warriors of Odin bound him and dragged him off to the palace. I wept days and weeks for my lost child and returned to Asgard just to tear it down and _find_ him. As it turned out, I should watch him fight for his life and be slain by a true warrior of Asgard.”

The brothers looked at each other. Thor was filled with dread as the green eyes of his sibling looked at him with unclouded fury and burning hatred.

“You killed him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thor uses the Tesseract to go back and forth.  
> The whole story sprung forth from that statement Loki made of being broken. I can totally see that - abandoned by everything and everyone, no purpose, no future, the whole past a lie. Damaged beyond repair, truly.  
> Anything that doesn't add up? Please state it, and I'll try to remedy it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trial time!  
> What will happen to Loki? Is there still hope? Is Thor able to get over his guilt?

If Tony Stark ever was frightened, it was now.

The weather had turned from baby blue sky with happy little clouds to black in mere seconds. Thunder and lightning fought for dominance and a rain so hard had set in, his roof was flooded in a heartbeat.

“Wow, Thor's mood must be really shitty right now...”, he mumbled and ducked at another roaring thunder.

Natasha sipped her tea.

“Yeah, perhaps Loki tricked him into letting him go.”, she joked half-heartedly. Tony knew she was worried for the god.

Bruce had stayed in his lab, the weather too eventful for Mr. Green, Steve and Clint were in the gym.

Another blinding light and mighty pang had them both jumping. Then the God of Thunder stepped into the room and looked at them with so much pain it let the Widow gasp out loud.

“Oh my God, Thor, what the hell happened?!”, she asked, intrigued by the lost and weeping look in the Norse's face.

“I...”, he croaked, voice hoarse. His face was wet with tears, eyes swollen and red. He let Mjölnir clash to the floor (were it left a very nice dent), and slumped down.

“Please don't say you killed him!”, Tony begged.

“I killed his son!”, Thor cried out. Natasha and Tony froze in place before looking at each other.

“Whoa, Point Break, easy there. You didn't know of his children as of this morning, didn't you?”

“It does not matter! I killed Fenrir in an unfair battle and as my Father” - he almost spat out “was set on killing his other children it could as well have been me. I turned against my brother without even knowing it and it is my fault for letting Loki fall so far he's looking _forward_ to execution!”, the god boomed and more tears fell. He was utterly devastated.

“They'll _kill_ him?!”, Stark asked, bewildered.

Thor shrugged helplessly.

“It is a possibility. And Loki has already given up.”, he sobbed.

Nat helped him to sit on the sofa before she rubbed soothing circles on his back.

“Tell us everything, okay? And then we'll see what to do.”, she said, and the God spoke.

 

“You know, I had this feeling that Loki was not really himself as he came down here.”, Tony said some time after Thor finished.

The others had arrived in the meantime, the storm shrunken down to a ocean of rain which was fueled by Thor's sorrow.

“Yeah, you showed us.”, Bruce nodded.

“While under his control, I had the tiniest bit of self-control. Not much, mind you, to do _anything_ , but enough to not kill Nat in the Helicarrier.”, Clint told them.

“Could it be that he was controlled too? Perhaps there are some signs...”, Steve murmured, more to himself, but the red-haired heard it.

“I think he was giving me a heads-up while I interrogated him in that cage. He slipped his plan with Bruce.”

“My brother would _never_ let a plan slip! He's the God of Lies! He's called Silvertongue, and for a reason.”, Thor almost pouted.

“That's what I said. Perhaps he warned us in the only way possible.”

“Wait a second.”, Clint straightened in his crouching position and scratched his chin.

“I was there when he came to earth with help of the Tesseract, down in the S.H.I.E.L.D-Building. He looked weary, and he had dark circles under his eyes the size of saucers. He seemed a bit haunted, I think.”

Thor's eyes lit a bit.

“You mean, there is a chance that he did not want to do what he did?”

“More or less.”

“What if... Jarv, the Loki-Files please.”, Tony ordered and went to the holographic screen, before he mumbled something, zooming in at the Hulk smashing the God into his floor, tapping it away and opening another file.

“Look at that.”, he said and showed them a screenshot.

“This was what happened before I was thrown out of my window here. He wanted to override me too, but he went for my reactor only. Assuming he is as intelligent as Point Break here thinks, he would've known to try another part of my body, preferably skin. He did not, he defenestrated me. And I believe not for a second he did not see the bracelets. They aren't exactly subtle - not my style.”

His team looked at the pictures playing and seconded his opinion.

“And this was Hulk vs. Loki. He practically _begs_ our Big Green here to smash him. Even Loki must have known it would be better to vanish as soon as possible. And well, his whole body language just changed completely after we got him. Thor, tell me this is normal for him.”

The engineer took a screenshot, full-screen on Loki's face, with this eerily emptiness.

The present God gulped loudly and sighed.

“No. Loki has always shown his feelings with his eyes. He may have an unbreakable mask if need arises, but his eyes were full of life at all time, if just for the fact that a convincing lie needs the suitable feeling. This... this is not the brother I've grown up with.”

Natasha gasps lightly and all eyes fall on her.

“He got hit on his head... just like Clint and Selvig.”

“You mean, the control on him fell away after that?”, Steve asked and Bruce nodded at that.

“Thor, you have to go talk to your father. And, of course, Loki. If this is true, we would condemn an innocent.”, the soldier urged, fully in his role as symbol of hope and justice.

The God didn't waste a second.

 

 

Loki had said everything he had to. As Thor came again, sporting theories of control and him being forced to act as he did, he just remained silent and closed his eyes against the voice of the man he once loved as a brother. He loved him still, would never truly hate him, but their relationship was strained, and they both did things which were hard to forgive.

Being the strange child in the family was never easy. Being the child with the dark, curly hair nobody could explain, with a gift for magic, when every other male part of said family was a warrior, strong and reckless and _idiotic_ , was hard. Being in the shadow of an older brother, never seen for what he did right, always being mocked and mistrusted by everyone else – even harder.

Never being able to count as an _equal_ was the hardest, despite all he had done to achieve it.

Yes, he had needed the attention, had needed to be looked upon, had needed _someone_ to respect him and show him he was not as unworthy as the long centuries he's lived beneath Thor had led him to believe. But he had failed so thoroughly.

“Please, brother. I just want to help you, I know you are not as evil as you have shown Midgard. Please.”, the big blonde asked softly and somwhat resigned.

It almost hurt to see Thor like this, Loki thought. But then again, nothing could disturb the dark hole in his chest where his emotions had set. It was like the Void he had travelled after his fall off the Bifröst. It was cold, dark, and horribly empty. And Loki revelled in this nothingness, not being able to _feel_ anything. It made everything so much easier.

Oh, his heart had burnt brightly as he told the older one of his children. Hatred, despair, guilt had flooded his mind and had washed any ease out of him, but after Thor had left – crying and stumbling, looking as damaged as Loki felt – the emptiness had filled him again and he had a light feeling of peace flowing through him.

“I am so sorry you felt the need to destroy, and I am beyond words with grief for what we did to you and your children. I'm sorry all I ever did was mocking you when you were so desperately searching for love and affection. I see now. I'm sorry, Loki, and even if I know you'll never forgive me, you'll be my brother forever, whatever your skin.” Thor whispered and left.

The Trickster exhaled and tried to forget the nagging feeling of sentiment which flared to life.

 

 

“D'you really think they'll execute him?”, Clint asked.

Steve shrugged.

“As far as I know, it could be. You have read the Norse myths, haven't you?”

“What really drives me nuts here is the _time_. When did this all happen? I mean, how old _are_ they exactly?!”, Tony rambled and tapped his StarkPad, flooded with numbers and dates.

“You are not worried what might happen in Asgard?”, Bruce asked.

The billionaire huffed.

“Nah. Big Blonde will never let that happen. _Fuck_ , why are there no _dates_?!”, he grumbled and ruffled his hair.

Natasha snorted amused.

“One might think you like him. Really, you're almost obsessed.”

Tony flashed her a winning smile.

“I'm insane, darling, you know that. And I already told Thor when I met him the first time – nobody touches my stuff.”

Clint and Steve choked on their drinks.

 

 

He had spelled his hands together again, as not to appear as a fiend to the court. Thor and his friends had collected him, the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three rather enjoying the sight, while Thor just looked decades older than the day before.

Loki did not look any of them in the eye, not giving them any sort of reason to glee more. He held his head high, his regal upbringing clearly showing as he stepped into the throne chamber, before Odin. Whatever they would throw at him, he would bear it with the little pride he had left.

Murmurs were heard as he sank to his knees before the Allfather, eyes on the steps before him. He would have searched for his mother, but he was sure he could not bear the grief and betrayal on her features. Loki wished for this façade to end. They just had to execute him. Then all would be well – for the realms, in Asgard, _for him_.

Silence fell upon the hall as Odin stood, Gungnir in his hand.

“Loki Odinson.” Oh, that hurt. Bitterness filled his heart. He was not his son. Why would Odin call him _that_ if not to hold over him what he had lost?

“Loki, you have done wrong to Asgard. You opened a gate for fiends of the realm, in an attempt to disturb your brothers crowning. You did it a second time when you were king, risking peace and security. You almost murdered Thor with the Destroyer.”

Loki bit back a sneer. He knew well what his crimes were. He did not need a reminder of what foolishness he had done.

“And while we mourned your fall, you went to attack Midgard with intention to rule the realm protected by a prince of Asgard, almost murdering Thor a second time.”

Odin sounded even older than Thor had looked. The bitterness seeped into his very core. He had disappointed them so sorely, and he only had wanted to be _seen_.

“You have the right to speak, for we will hear what you have to say.”

Loki looked up – finally – to see his Fa-- Odin standing a few steps down the throne. His eye shone with hurt, and guilt filled the places not already flushed with bitterness in the Tricksters soul.

“I acknowledge my actions as deeds of war and treason. Whatever your sentence and punishment shall be, I obey, Allfather. I shall ask for your forgiveness.”, he said, calm as he could be.

He heard Thor and Frigga gasp. The brute would surely--

“Father, please! He was not in his right mind!”

Ah, there it was. Odin silenced his son with a gesture of his hand. Thor fell quiet again, agony on his face.

Loki would never understand what happened next. Never.

His foster father stepped down the stairs and handed the spear to his oldest son, before kneeling down in front of the dark haired god.

“Loki, my son, I have wronged you the most. Whatever the case, I should beg you for forgiveness first.”, he said, and cupped Loki's face in his hands.

No, this was wrong... this should not be like this. It was false.

“Forgive me for not seeing you as the brilliant man you are. Forgive me for not showing you that you are indeed my son, flesh and blood. Forgive me for not trusting you to understand.”

No, no, no, nononono. Where by the Norns had this gone so awry? Why did this not go as planned?!

Loki's heart raced as tears welled up in his eyes, and he did not understand the tears he saw in the eye of the Allfather, as he was looked upon with so much love he thought his heart might just break apart.

“Forgive me not trusting you with your children, for forcing you to give up this sacred gift. I am unworthy of you.”

The hall erupted into loud chatter. Loki was numb as his shackles were opened and he was drawn to his feet.

His tongue had turned to lead, words failing to come, his brain not knowing what to say, what to do.

“Loki Odinson.” Now it made more sense, what Odin did with this name – he made sure everyone knew Loki was _still_ a Prince of Asgard, still his son, and was to be treated as such, even if said son did not know what exactly had happened for this to occur.

“For your crimes against Asgard you will repair the Bifröst.”

More chatter and low murmur, as Loki choked on air, protest lying on his tongue. That was work for more than one sorcerer, he would not be able--

“Do not look at me like that, you will handle just fine. I know what you are capable of, Loki.”

A year ago, he would have _killed_ to hear these words. In truth – he _had_ killed.

“For your crimes against Midgard, you will be stripped of your magical power and your godhood and sent to the realm of mortals.”

Loki looked at the Allfather with barely disguised bafflement.

“I...”, he stopped when he recognized the hint of mischief in the powder blue eye. He felt warm arms embrace him and froze.

“You cannot seal my magic.”, Loki murmured with low voice, and Odin chuckled at that.

“Oh, I know, Thor told me. The council does not, and they will be none the wiser if I do not tell them.”, he whispered back, and Loki was not sure why he was trusted with his magic, by the Allfather non the less.

The old God lay his hands on his shoulders and looked at him.

“Your power will come back, when you're worthy of it again. Until then you will live a mortal life between the humans you have hurt.”, Odin declared loudly.

The hall was silent once again. Loki was not sure if he should be glad or seriously offended. He had been at peace with imminent death and now all was different from what he had expected. He still felt the emptiness in his soul, but on the other side...

... on the other side, he felt how something had changed and shifted. It soothed his aching heart a bit. He sighed and closed his eyes.

“I accept your terms and your punishment, Allfather.”

The next thing he knew was a bone-crashing bear hug that had the wind knocked out of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wohooo!  
> There has to be some good in Odin. I truly hope so, or I'll go on a rampage after watching The Dark World.
> 
> Stay tuned for the next part - the Invasion will be discussed then, and all the roles played will be bared!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki takes on his punishment. Guess who'll welcome him?

They were aware that not everything was well between them. There were issues and wounds not healed with an apology, but it was a start.

“Will you tell me what happened after you fell off the Bifröst?”, Thor asked.

Loki could not suppress the light shudder that came to him.

“I do not know how much time lies between my fall and the first contact with the Chitauri, but I was weakened, physically as well as mentally. I had lost purpose, and they gave me a new one.”, he answered, not willing to admit that he had not been able to withstand their power.

As they walked towards the Bifröst, Thor asked more questions, but Loki was not in the mood to get more of them cleared. He needed to concentrate.

“Heimdall.”, Odin greeted finally, and the dark skinned God shot Loki a distrustful glance.

“Allfather. My Prince. My Queen.”

The God of Lies almost rolled his eyes, before he walked around the All-Seeing and took a closer look at the splintered bridge.

Thor really had done a marvellous job at vandalising the gateway. Loki was ever so glad he once was interested in the Bifröst. He read every book he could find, questioned a lot of people and even annoyed Heimdall until Frigga had to drag him away herself. The God knew all there was about the bridge, and he knew it would be very hard work. The Bifröst had been built by a cluster of sorcerers, but he was alone.

He let his magic scout the edge, read the damage and siphoned the energy which clung to the place, before placing his hands flat on the glittering floor and _pressing, willing_ the street to open again.

Despite his closed eyes he could see it growing, saw the new connections and felt as Yggdrasil called out to him, helping him, guiding him. Thor, Odin and Frigga could only stare at the wonder Loki crafted. The Bifröst all but _healed_ , emerging out of the darkness, while the sea underneath grew with it.

The sorcerer did not knew how long he weaved the energy into another bridge, but it was straining. He swayed a little, before his concentration fizzled and his focus broke.

“Are you alright, brother?”, Thor asked after stepping up to him. Loki growled.

“Of course I am, but as I tried to tell you, one sorcerer is hardly enou--”

As his eyes opened, he knew why his attention had wavered – it simply was not needed any more. At the end of the rainbow road, the portal stood, as glorious and breathtaking as before.

The god blinked. How had he done that?

“You did very well, my son. It is marvellous.”, Frigga spoke and embraced him.

Odin led them into the golden dome and they followed.

“I shall fulfill your punishment, Loki. You will go back to Midgard and learn what you failed to see the last time you were there. When you have grown, you may come home.”

And as he spoke the words to strip Loki from his magic, the sorcerer smirked, because both of them knew it would not stick. His godhood left him seconds after, and Loki felt as weak as a newborn kitten before he was thrown down on Midgard and landed – more or less softly – directly between the Avengers, who were watching the storm over Manhatten on the roof of Stark Tower.

“Well, if that is not a very interesting shooting star indeed.”, Tony grinned.

Loki resigned in his fate and exhaled very deeply.

“By the Norns.”

 

 

They had bid him inside and he had looked at them as if they were the craziest people in the nine realms.

“You do know that I brought Chaos unto your city mere weeks ago, do you not?”

“Look, Reindeer Games, we know who you are and we are sure that you did not want the whole mess as it was. Come on in, have a drink, tell a story and we'll see which way this'll go.”, Stark had said and the other mortals just vanished into the tower. Loki did not know what to do.

“You do not know me.”, he hissed. Stark waved his hand.

“God of Mischief and Chaos, we should have anticipated something like that once we knew your name, honey. You coming?”

The God considered leaving for about a second. Then he followed the man. Damn his curiosity.

“You were the ones who got Thor believing in my _innocence_.”, last word almost spat out.

“Oh, don't play bad wolf on us, I bet you have a nice soft creamy filling where your heart should be.”

Loki did absolutely not understand a word the human said. _Filling_?! What did that mean?

Before he could ask, he got handed a drink and was pushed into the room where his shape had been beaten into the floor. He downed the single Malt in one.

And coughed, as he had not thought his now mortal and human tissue would react this sensitive to the burn of the alcohol. Tears formed in the corner of his eyes, and he tried to blink them away.

He heard the Team snickering, but he could not detect any malicious intent.

“You know, for a god you are not very tolerable to our liqueurs.”, the redhead smirked, and he sent her a glare. She chuckled. The next second, pain flared in Loki's cheek as a fist collided with his cheekbone. He almost staggered back, gasps ringing in his ears, before he grasped the hand he was offered.

“I think I deserved that.”

Rubbing his cheek, he hoped it would not bruise. Oh, whom was he kidding – he would be a rainbow tomorrow.

Clint grinned and clapped his shoulder.

“No hard feelings, dude. No hard feelings at all. I'm starving, Jarv! Pizza!”

 

It was a very strange sight he found himself half an hour later. They had forced him into Midgardian clothes, claiming that his leather garb was not at all comfortable (he tended to disagree), sat him down on a white – what was it called again? - _couch_ , and handed him a plate with a few slices of the aforementioned pizza. Why in the realms did he not just disappear? Even if his strength was diminished, he still had magic to call upon.

“Eat already, before Clint eats yours too. He'd do that.”, the Captain said.

Loki sighed deeply and cautiously bit into one slice. And just as he did that, his stomach grumbled loudly. Very. Loud.

After a short, stunned silence, the humans tried to hide their laughter, chortled gasps escaping.

“Oh by Odin's beard, this is beyond humiliating.”, he muttered under his breath, scowl on his face.

“Sorry, this situation is just too funny.”, Clint grinned and almost swallowed his slice whole.

“Urgh, Barton, you are disgusting!”, Natasha said and gave him a look.

“Sorry, I have to eat. Hell, Tasha, we're sitting here with _another_ Norse God, and this time it's the one who almost levelled New York! And that not even with his own power.”

Loki did not feel hungry any more. Not at all.

Anew silence filled the room.

“You know, we don't blame you. At least not for all that's happened.”, Bruce said.

“Why? Because you believe me innocent? I am hardly that.”, Loki answers coldly.

“Yeah, we know. But we think you have been not yourself the time you came here through that portal. There are some signs we found, and we're not going to vote you for pope or anything like that, but we're ones to give second chances.”, the man with the beard said, and Loki stared at him.

“Second chances? I believe to have had a fair share of these already, Mr. Stark.”

“Perhaps, but not with us.”, the Captain said. “You helped us, subtle, but you did. Thor told us you have been the most skillfull sorcerer in Asgard, yet you did not use this power. That alone means we should be thankful you did not want to invade the earth in earnest.”

Loki grumbled a bit and grabbed his plate again. It would not do for him to be malnourished if he wanted to achieve something. Heartily he bit in his slice.

“Ever had pizza before?”, Stark asked and did his own stomach a favour too, eating. The rest followed shortly after.

“I believe I have not eaten anything else in the time your archer felt compelled to feed me while being under my spell.”, he snorted.

“Yeah, man, you looked like death warmed over. Pizza always makes everything better!”

“I told you more than once that I did not in fact need the nourishment at that time.”

“Hell, you could have told me that you'd live with love and air and I would have brought you pizza. It's awesome!”

Steve grinned, and Bruce smiled lightly.

“You stuffed me. I almost gained weight. Most of us do not easily gain such a thing. I believe you know how much food Thor can stomach.”

“Oh, as if you would lose something by gaining a pound or two! You still eating that?”, Clint asked before reaching for the last piece of pizza on Loki's plate. Only fast reaction and his very long arms saved his food.

“I said I needed no further food at that time. Now I do. You've had more than enough.”

“They almost seem like best friends. It's a little scary.”, Tony said to Natasha ,who chuckled and smiled.

Tony bit in his pizza, thought, and almost choked on the bite.

“Wait, wait, wait! You need food? What for?”

Loki nonchalantly swallowed his last piece of crumb and leant back.

“I'm no more inhuman than you are at this time. My godhood was taken from me as punishment. I am as mortal as you are.”

“What? And you just tell us _now_?”, the genius shrieked. “Legolas, you could have _killed_ him!”

The once-god rolled his eyes.

“Please. I am not fragile. I am able to handle a blow.”

Shortly after that, the storm flared to life once again and Loki tried to let the couch devour him up whole.

Tony laughed.

“What, afraid?”, that earned him a very mean glare.

“As I have told you once before, I am not overly fond of what follows.”, he said, and true, he was not sure he wanted his brother to show up now.

He had been enjoying himself. These mortals were rather nice company.

A second later Thor entered the room, beaming and grinning like the oaf he was.

“Friends! Brother! How marvellous to see you all together and with such good news!”

“Fantastic.”, Loki droned dryly and wrung a chuckle out of the Avengers. Thor was as ever blissfully unaware of his brother's sarcasm and pulled him first to his feet and then into a very hard hug.

“Thor! You boar, release me! Control your strength!”, the younger one gasped, already hearing his bones snap. The God released him and Loki cursed him in a language no one understood.

“I am sorry, brother, I forgot about your predicament.” And he almost sounded embarrassed.

Loki huffed before sitting down again.

“So, brother, what are your plans?”, the big blonde asked and eyed Loki with unhidden interest. He got a shrug back in response.

“I have not had time to think over that matter. Obviously, the Allfather wishes for me to redeem myself, and if this task of proving worthy to him will take the same standard he applied to me before, I'll be better off not to try, for all the good trying has me done is being cast out. Twice.”

Silence followed, and Loki felt bitter happiness fill him as he watched the pained look on Thor's face.

“Father regrets, Loki. He truly does, or he would not have you spared the execution you so wished for.”

A rasped laugh escaped Loki's throat, while the humans shouted 'What?!' and 'No way! His own son?'.  
“So he really would have me dead before hearing any of my excuses. A fitting sentence. What have you said to him to change his ways? He never listened to you before.”

Thor's face darkened in anger and sorrow.

“I confronted him with the knowledge of your children, and brought forward the evidence my midgardian friends collected to plead your case. He had wronged you greatly, he punished you beyond reason in forcing you to send away your blood and flesh, in never giving you the same chance I got. Odin had to see the error of his ways.”

“'Odin'? Whatever happened? Is he not more father to you now than he was ever before?”, Loki sneered, contently registering Thor's tensing.

“I... may have called him an old fool once again. An perhaps the words 'worst father in the nine realms' may have crossed my lips.”, he winced, but then straightened.

“He deserved it.”

Loki eyed him sharply. Thor had never stood up against his father, not for anything or anyone besides his own futile attempts on going to war against Jötunheim.

“And he just followed your advice? Without doubt?”

“You were always known for your devious schemes, brother, but once we looked at your actions regarding Midgard from a different angle, it unfolded to him like an open book. You all but rescued this realm. He accepted this and was very much inclined to hear what I had to say.”

Loki rubbed his temple, sighing. He was dead tired. Not only was this new mortal body unknown to him, the magical resources he had used in repairing the rainbow bridge pulled at his reserves, and he found that his magic was draining a lot more energy than before. Of course, he also did not want to have this discussion now of all times. He had arrangements to make, a place to find where he could live, and then there was the matter with his _son_ , who apparently found him, and he had no means of contacting him and _oh_ , that hurt.

“So, yeah, Rudolph, we'd like to know what exactly happened and what else you've been helping us with.”, the most insane of his (ex?-)enemies asked, face more or less straight.

“Please elaborate.”, he asked, too tired to refuse. He would just go with it this time. He could deal with everything else later.

“Point one: You did not really want to rule this world.”, Steve said, more statement than question.

Loki nodded, glancing up to him.

“I do not want a throne. It is too... bothersome and bonding. All that responsibility does not suit me very well. And you midgardians are not the most interesting species in the nine realms. You run like sheep and mostly have no mind of your own.”

Stark sputtered an undignified “Hey!” whilst shooting him a glare that promised vengeance later. The ex-god smirked.

“There is of course an exception to every rule. Your little group... Avengers, you called yourself, right?”, he asked and got a collective nod back.

“You are a most welcome refreshment from this flock of animals out there. You take action, and you defy what you deem not right. You defied me.”

“O-kay... erm, point two. You obviously let yourself be captured in Stuttgart, and though you had the chance to escape while Thor, Cap and Tony wrestled a welcome with each other, you sat there on your rock and waited for them to finish. Why?”, Bruce wanted to know, having seen the feeds more times than he ever wanted.

“I wanted on the flying fortress. _You_ were there, and after Barton told me about this little group project, I knew you would be the ones able to fight off anything that came by. I needed you to fend off the Chitauri as I was not able to.”

Natasha coughed. “You hinted at the weapons SHIELD wanted to build off the Tesseract. You antagonized us.”

Loki shrugged.

“You needed to know. It gave you reason to doubt and to speak to each other, and even if you did not see it then, you bonded on a very deep level. You got insight to each other.”

“And then you slipped that tiny bit of information to Nat, which gave them a warning.”, Clint said.

At that, the trickster grinned.

“Oh, but she _was_ good. She could perhaps have gotten that tidbit even if I was not inclined on letting it slip.”

“As I said, friends. He does not tell what he does not want to be heard.”, Thor boomed. The group snickered and then fell oddly silent.

“You killed Phil.”, Stark stated, more serious than he had ever been.

Loki sighed.

“Albeit unplanned, it was the common ground for you. Without this, you would have never become the group you are now. Your director played this part to perfection. Agent Coulson never had his cards on him that day. He had them in his locker. You were played, perfectly.”

Natasha eyed him weary.

“Don't say you regret it.”

“I do not. He unified you in a way nothing else would.”

“You are a cold hearted asshole.”, the billionaire snarked, which got Loki grinning wider.

“Oh, but I am, rest assured. I will not regret what I deemed necessary in protecting this realm. Of course, I rather hoped he'd live. It is a shame, really. But then again, he also played his part to perfection.”

Clint gave a guttural cry before launching himself towards the dark haired man. Steve snarled and Bruce had a delightful green shade in his face. Loki was rather amused as Natasha grabbed the archer and forced him back down. She glared at the former god.

“What are you not telling us? Full story. Now.”

Oh, she _really_ was good.

“Agent Coulson got a fair share of insight while I tried my best at killing Thor. Let me tell you that I am not only skilled at magical feats. Thor uses a hammer. I am slightly more subtle. My weapon of choice is not unlike one of yours, Agent Barton.”, he said, conjuring a small, black blade out of thin air.

Her eyes widened slightly.

“He tricked us. He's alive.”

Loki nodded.

“He should be. The wound was deep, yes, and he lost a huge amount of blood, but I stabilized him and made it look far worse than it actually was. I did not hurt anything life-threatening. I would know, I had a lot of practice.”

Stunned silence.

“You son of a bitch.”, Clint groaned and that got a chuckle out of the ex-god.

“Feel free to use any endearment you might chose, dear Agent Barton.”

Bruce inhaled deeply.

“What about the portal? Selvig said he built in a fail-safe. Was that planned?”

Anew Loki nodded.

“I tried to give any of my brainwashed subjects as much self-control as possible without alerting the Other. While I myself was barely under any control of them, my actions mostly my own, the control over a human is significantly higher due to your fragile state of mind. Your own Agent here was able to not kill Romanoff, Selvig chose to build a shutdown for the portal, using the staff. It would not do to fail after everything I had planned.”

“What about the aliens? There were so many, there would have been more of the Leviathans if we did not close the portal, and they would have overrun us all.”, Steve said.

Surprisingly, Thor answered this one.

“It was a strategy. The first wave was a test for us, to see if we could handle them. The second wave was a bit stronger and had more quantity, but then we knew how to deal with them. It's Loki's favourite move, although I have first seen it from the side of the enemy, played to fit us. In battles, Loki would always try to let us test our strength against our foes by luring them to us in small groups before engaging in full.”

Steve and Natasha nodded in understanding, while the rest of the team demanded a more detailed answer. Thor elaborated, and Loki found himself surprised by the knowledge the Thunderer displayed. He had broken down the battle movements, grasping every idea Loki had poured into his scheme.

Clint served them another round of highly intoxicating drinks, Loki nursing his this time deliberately slow, and it was just a moment later that a door opened and a woman with strawberry blond hair entered, smiled at the scene, saw him, and lost all colour to her face. The trickster grinned as wickedly as he could at her.

Stark greeted her with a flashing smile, walking over and kissing her on the cheek. She did not let her eyes wander off the stranger in midst the Avengers.

“Tony, I hope you know that there is a highly dangerous asgardian _war criminal_ sitting on your couch.”, the woman stated flatly, before reaching for her mobile.

“Yeah, Pep, you see, there were a few things happening I had not have the time telling you.”

And he filled her in with as many words he could fit in one breath.

“Fear not, Lady Pepper. Loki is not a threat anymore.”, Thor's voice carried through the room without any effort, shutting up the waterfall that was Stark's mouth.

She sighed, rubbed her forehead and glanced at the group.

“Does Fury know? He will have an aneurism because of you.”

They all cackled and laughed at that.

“He'll deal with it.”

 

 

It was well after midnight when Loki stood up, fully intended to leave, saying his goodbyes, thanking them for their hospitality. He did not want to intrude any more than he had, he did not want to add more debt to the ones he already held for the humans.

He needed to go, needed to find a place where he could stay for a longer period of time, be it in the woods or elsewhere – he did not mind much. He had had worse.

It was surprising him when he was invited to stay.

And all the more so when he found he did not mind at all.

 

 

Waking up the next morning, Loki needed some time to remember what had transpired the day before.

The first thing he noticed was the weakness of his body, the feeling of _aging_ at a so much faster rate than he was used to. It was unnerving at best.

Secondly, he felt the low humming of magic under his skin, soft, but strong. It was not replenished to the full extend of his powers, but given more time he knew it to be as strong as before.

Thirdly, he felt oddly hungry. He groaned. Damn this human body. This constant need of food was annoying him already.

“Good morning, Mr. Odinson.”, a male voice greeted him.

Loki jumped out of the bed, crouching into a defensive position and looking around.

There was nobody to be seen. He blinked. Oh, right.

“You're the computer.”

He had been... introduced... the night before. Stark was proud as a peacock of this invention.

“Yes, Mr. Odinson. My name is Jarvis, I am the artificial intelligence Mr. Stark programmed.”

Well, at least the bodyless voice was well mannered. With a servant he could work, Loki thought.

“Is there anything important I have to know before I leave this room?”

“It is currently 7:32am, the weather is quite nice for late summer in New York. Currently awake are Miss Romanoff and Mr. Rogers, they are located in the kitchen. Shall I lead you to them?”

Loki did not mind.

 

 

“Is he all right?”

“I believe he is, dear. He takes his chance, although I believe he does not know yet.”

Frigga smiled lightly, grasping a bright red woollen thread and weaving it into the tapestry she had begun the night before.

“He deserves it. You made grave mistakes with both our sons, my husband, some of them almost destroying our Loki, I hope you understand this.”

Odin sighed heavily.

“We all have a lot to learn, I believe. Some more than others.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little science, a little history, a little background.  
> A lot of feeling and a bit of a battle.

“What's it like on Asgard? Point Break here won't share.”, Tony asked their newly acquired flatmate almost a week after his arrival. The Áss had argued about staying in the Tower, not wanting to add to the debt when Bruce had implied his knowledge of another realm with surprisingly new technology would be very welcomed. Being confirmed that the engineer had more money than he would ever spend even with his constant need for repairs on the suit and hosting another person was his way of caring for people, Loki had condescended. He now lived in one of the flats in Stark Tower, open and airy and bright, something he would have never thought possible.

They accepted him here, and he was a bit confused as to why. Loki knew he was no nice person. He never had been. The humans had given him the title God of Lies when he was barely a hundred midgardian years old, adding more (like Fire, Mischief – he rather liked this one – and Chaos) not long after. The Avengers knew he did not greatly regret any action he had done, be it against his home realm, the one he was borne on, or Midgard, yet they were not hostile against him.

They were careful, of course they were, but it puzzled Loki to no end.

Currently he stood besides the two geniuses in some sort of laboratory, which hosted a great number of technical instruments the ex-god did not understand as of yet. Stark had some sort of holographic field set on the table before him, while Banner tried to measure something equally fascinating.

“It is... dimmed, I think. Not as bright as your world.”, Loki said. He touched the particles of light that formed the holographic picture in front of him and _willed_ it into another form. Stark watched utterly intrigued as Loki pulled up a schematic he would describe as a...

“Is that a tree?”, Bruce asked, mesmerized. Loki nodded and held a hand over it, highlighting two areas. One at the very top of the tree, the crown, another at a thick branch.

“This is the World's Tree. Yggdrasil. It binds the nine realms together and feeds them the energy they need to grow and to exist.”

Tony magnified the realm on top of the tree with his own hands, zooming into the picture.

“This is Asgard?”

“Yes. We live above the other realms, watching over them and guarding them. The Sorcerers of Asgard can draw upon the energy of the World Tree, and thus the realm flourishes. We are as close to the creatures humans like to think of as gods as we can be. Of course, whether you believe in a higher being or not is yours to decide.”

Bruce smiled, while Stark sniggered.

“Atheist. Never, ever going to tell you to your face you're a god or something like that, Reindeer Games.”

Loki grins.

“Well, kindly do remember that my daughter is the one who watches over the fallen souls that are not permitted into the halls of Valhalla. And someone had to conquer that particular crown for her.”

His heart clenched a bit as he thought about her, all beautiful dark and bright at the same time, hated by her own mother, adored by him, made to rule the dead.

Stark flicked his wrist as if to dismiss this.

“Never ever. Can't make me!”

Bruce sniggered, then his hands found the holograph and he zoomed in a bit more.

“So, is Asgard a planet, too? I can't seem to focus it enough to look for myself.”

Loki let his hand hover over the image, giving it more edge and sharpness.

“It is not like your earth. Asgard is like a floating landscape with defined ends. Theories of our libraries state that this is the natural state for any planet before shaping into the round marble most of them are now. The more mass is added, the rounder it is. Asgard has not that much mass, the city and the land is as wide as your pacific ocean is, I believe. Albeit our days and years are the same.”

He let the image wash away before zooming in the thick branch he highlighted before.

“This is your realm, Midgard. Yours is a realm of symmetry and balance, of a cycle never ending. Your solar system is quite unique in the nine realms, with your sun being the only one whereas the other realms possess two of them. Intriguing.”

The hologram sported a lot of blinking lights, the brightest sitting in the middle, while Loki swept his hand over it.

“Midgard is the one realm closest to Asgard. Not in space or distance, but in mind, race and appearance. While the other worlds have brought forth dwarves, giants, elves, Asgard and Midgard have produced beings that are physically the same, different only in longevity and strength. Both worlds possess different lanscapes such as woods, oceans, deserts, whereas the others have mostly one of the aforementioned. Jötunheim and Muspellheim are places of ice and fire, hard to walk for any other race. No other realm has brought forth such innovation and technology as you midgardians have. You are as equal to Asgard as you can be.”

The sorcerer waved his hand and the image changed back to the blueprint Stark had there before. The engineer looked quite baffled.

“Did you just change my holographic field without any instruction or schematics in my AI?”, he asked. Loki shrugged.

“There is a way to manipulate everything, Mr. Stark. This was just light you concentrated in fixed points. I wanted the light to form Yggdrasil, and it did. It's physics.”

Bruce laughed out loud as Tony seemed to understand the implication, astonishment in his face.  
“Wait, you are a scientist?!”

 

 

It had taken them days to comprehend what that entailed.

As soon as they had, Tony was tailgaiting Loki wherever he was, trying to pry out any information on asgardian physics he could, while Loki was content with giving him only the barest things, laws and theorems just barely new to Tony, some of them so old the engineer gave a frustrated groan when he solved a term the taller man had given him.

The newest of them was Einstein's theory of mass-energy equivalence.

“Just you wait, you old fart!”, he bitched before storming out, probably back to the lab and Banner.

Loki snorted softly and a faint smile settled on his lips.

It was far to easy to get under Stark's skin, once you knew what to search for, and science was his Achilles' heel.

Wandering off to the kitchen, he sat down and let his magic brew him a cup of herbal tea.

“Brother.”, Thor greeted as he walked into the room, grabbing a package of PopTarts and stuffing the sweets into the toaster.

Loki watched him, but did not say anything. He still was torn between love and hate for the man he once saw as a sibling, who pushed him off into his shadow, who wanted him back despite all he had done to him. Wriggling his fingers in some sort of displacement activity, he let soft green flames dance around his fingertips.

“Will you not speak to me? Have I failed your trust once more?”

The younger one sighed deeply, closing his eyes briefly.

“You cannot expect us to be as we were before, Thor. The brother you knew is gone. Has been gone for centuries.”

There was a crack as the Toaster zapped Thor at contact. Thor looked unharmed, but the machine had a black scorchmark at the outside. Another one. Seemed to happen regularly.

“I want to make amends for what I did wrong. I love you, Loki. You are still my brother, if not by blood, then by our upbringing. You always had my back, and I am in deep sorrow that I never returned what you did for me.”

Loki sipped his tea as he searched for words. He had always had trouble lying to Thor, as easy as it was for him to lie to everyone else. His silver tongue was of no use here.

“Loki, I am truly sorry. I should not have fought against your child.”, Thor said softly, sadness and pain flashing over his face. The black haired man shook his head.

“You did not know. Forgive my harshness. It was not your fault.”

“I should have known. He was of your blood, he was my nephew. I should have questioned why the Allfather was as adamant in me fighting him as he was. He never displayed this much cruelty in front of my eyes.”

Loki did not answer. He clearly remembered every cruel thing Odin had done, to him, to others, to his children. He found him to be not very benevolent.

“I should have recognized the hurt you felt as I watched you, hoping for the same admiration you always gave me when in battle.”

“It is in the past. You were not at fault. Do not wear yourself out over it.”

As Thor munched through the whole box of PopTarts, both had time to think of something to say. It was hard, sitting together, feeling so foreign to each other. It hurt.

“The day of the failed coronation you said... did you lie then?”, the blond wanted to know, voice deep and a bit coarse.

“The words I spoke were genuine. Yes, I did not want you as king, because what a poor one you would have been, but I never lied to you if there was another way. I find that my usually smart tongue leaves me while talking to you. You must be rubbing off.”, he joked, albeit tense. It was a very sore topic.

Thor sighed.  
“And you were right. Odin should have listened to you. I was... am not fit to be king. I have a lot to learn, and I need you to be my conscience. You always knew best what to do.”

“Oh dear, you really do not want that. My conscience is not the best nowadays.”

“You are. Loki, there is no one like you, scheming, risking yourself for a cause, never afraid to walk the road you think best! You saved this world, tricking us all into believing you were the enemy! You said to me you believed being above them all!”, Thor exclaimed, agitated, gazing at him with fierce believe.

“But we are, Thor.”, Loki answered gently, without any trace of arrogance.

“We are above them. If we were not, why should you choose to be the world's protector? If they are equal, they do not have need of you. But they are not, and they need believe in something higher, something _better_ and mightier than they are themselves. The humans always followed the gods who wandered the earth. The egyptian gods have fallen, the greek and the germanic gods did too. So did we. But these other gods never had to watch more than one world, they vanished somewhere, sleeping until Ragnarök, if they ever existed at all. They are not needed anymore.”

Thor looked at him with an unreadable expression.

“Thor, they need _you_. You have shown this world that there are indeed gods to whom they can pray at night, gods who will come down to them and protect them. While we were worshipped in our youth, walking back and forth between Asgard and Midgard, the modern world has lost it's faith. You gave it back. As equal as you want to be, you'll be above them forever, if just for the fact that you are a being some of their ancestors believed to be a god. Humans are fragile, they need to believe in something. You swore to protect this realm. You will never be an equal to them. You will _always_ be a god. You have to be above them, for them, or they'll lose faith.”

Silence ensued once again.

Somewhere, a clock was ticking. Loki idly played with the green glow his fingers emitted, relishing in the quietness. As he looked up to meet his brother's eyes, they shone with unshed tears. Loki reeled back a bit. Damn, what had he done?

“Thor--”

“To ever believe you could be able of evil was the gravest mistake I ever made.”, the God said, rough and teary and full of love.

“Oh, by the Norns, do you still believe me to be the innocent little mage who cannot hurt a fly?”, Loki spit.

“Have you ever heard yourself talk, Loki? You are so full of compassion for this planet, I doubt you realise it yourself! Your heart is... it is king-sized!”, Thor burst out, and that silenced both of them. The sorcerer's face showed surprise, before he chuckled.

“You know, that must have been the worst pun you have ever made.”

“And I did not even intend to. You would have been a wise king, more so than I ever could hope to be.”, the Thunderer spoke, sincere as Loki had seldom seen him. He swallowed around the knot in his throat.

“I was king longer than you. I did not suit the throne, and I never will. I do not want to. As I've said, all I ever wanted to be was your equal.”

“And you shall be this. And more.”

 

 

The following weeks were spent quietly. There were some attacks on the city, which the Avengers hurled down without much trouble, with Loki in the tower, getting himself accustomed to the machines and equipment Banner and Stark worked with. He had cut down his teasing a notch, giving Tony more to work with, helping Bruce with his research on the serum they used on Steve over seventy years prior.

His relationship with Thor mended, he noticed. Thor listened when Loki had something to say, and he himself was more open to his brothers antics. It was something new, something good.

He had shown all of them little tricks with his magic, pranking them a bit, too. He enjoyed the freedom he had when around them, all of them damaged or broken, trying to be worthy somehow.

Loki was startled to realize that they became his friends.

He lived with them, ate with them and spent his free time more often than not in their companion. They bickered, yes, and there was the inevitable fight between some of them, but they patched up whatever problem ensued.

It was home.

 

 

“There is a shadow, my wife.”

“I know. But there will be light behind it.”, Frigga answered, weaving a coal black thread together with a lush green one. She seldom had a tapestry with as much colours as this to weave, but she gladly took to it, for the change it would bring to her sons.

 

 

“Gods, Loki, what did you do?!”, Pepper asked, while the aforementioned man sat on the couch, cackling like he had gone mad. Tears from laughing too hard stung in his eyes, but he did not care at all. Clint was besides him and had no more breath left, laughing silently and clutching his stomach.

Pepper did not want to know what happened. Really. No, she did not want to see the video stream that showed on the broad TV in the living room, getting a feed from Tonys lab. And no, she did not want to laugh at her ex, chasing after one of his helmets, which flew around the room without him doing anything that would cause this.

Loki flicked his wrist, and the Iron Man helmet grew two horns that were remarkably well known.

Tony's eyes were furious.

“LOKI!!! YOU SON OF A BITCH, COME DOWN HERE AND GET RID OF YOUR DAMN ANTLERS!!!”

Clint wheezed while huffing out another short-breathed laugh. Pepper chuckled.

“How long is he fighting you off?”

“Oh, just about fifteen minutes. I did not know how much _fun_ it is to wreck havoc to his suit. He gets all deliciously flustered and nervous.”, Loki grinned, eyes glowing.

“You really should not do that. It's his baby.”, she said, snickering.

“Oh, it is but a mere illusion. As he touches it, the suit is in it's original state once again, and he knows that well enough. But it irks him terribly, and I _like_ to see him all worked up.”

Clint shot Pepper a glance. Still trying to catch his breath, he sat up and his eyes widened a bit as hers did, too.

Oh gods, did Loki have a crush on Tony?

 

 

Natasha had hunted down Phil Coulson . It had cost her several weeks, a great deal of sweet talking a lot of persons and threatening another dozen or so just to get to the fact that he indeed was very much alive.

To actually contact him was even more difficult. But she would not be the Black Widow if she did not get through to him.

“Phil.”

He was not startled as she appeared in his flat. He only smiled in his usual way, indifferent, before sitting down and gesturing for her to do the same.

“Agent Romanoff. How nice to come to visit.”

“Cut it. What the hell? Where have you been? Why did we have to be told by _Loki_ that you were not dead? You could have given word, you know? We missed you.”

Phil laid his arms around her as she embraced him.

“You're awful for making us worry like that, Phil, you know that?”

“I know. I would be sorry if it had not helped you. You see, there was this merry band of misfits that needed to become a working team to save the earth.”

She boxed him lightly and he chuckled.

“It has been almost four months now. We're good. You can come back.”

“I'll try.”

 

 

He had taken three days before appearing in Stark Tower, scaring the hell out of Pepper. The poor woman would suffer a cardiac arrest, Loki was sure. After the initial shock, they explained to her what had happened, no, she did not see a ghost, and no, they had not resurrected him with some kind of dark voodoo magic Loki would cast.

When she had settled down, drink in hand, Coulson turned to Loki and nodded shortly.

“The plan's been working?”

“Almost as smooth as it could. There was some minor issue with your Board of Control, as you've surely heard already. But I found my conviction.”

And with that, the man smiled his trademark smile, letting the others talk.

 

 

“I will return to Asgard in the morrow. I have need to know how my people fare.”, Thor declared one November morning while everyone was assembled (pun intended) for breakfast. He had switched places between New York and New Mexico quite frequently, meeting his Jane and telling her about Asgard, his new friends, and surely some other things no one wanted to know.

“When will you be back?”, Steve asked while nibbling on some toast.

“I will return as soon as I can, but I do not know how much time I will need. If something arises, I will send words. If you are in dire need of me, you call for Heimdall. Loki knows what to do.”

Tony raised a brow.

“Really? You just yell into space and someone hears you? I thought that was a myth.”

“Heimdall is the All-Seeing who watches everything. If you say his name, he will hear, and for Thor he will relay every message as soon as he can.”, Loki explained.

“That said, you do not want to annoy him. Trust me.”

Tony closed his mouth. Well, it seemed that the Trickster knew him too well already.

And then the alarm sounded. They groaned, not ready to fight in the early morning hours, on a cold and very windy day. They groaned anew when Jarvis told them that Doombots were currently invading the Broadway, Central Park and New Jersey.

“Jersey?! What the hell does he want there?”, Clint muttered before slipping his quiver on.

Loki snatched himself a paper and went for the couch.

“Do try to destroy them without blasting the skyline into rubble, yes? I quite like the Broadway.”

“You know, you could come and help us. You already did the first time you were here, and there's no rule saying you can't play with us.”, Tony said, and Steve nodded.

“Against Doom another sorcerer could prove valuable.”

Loki rolled his eyes.

“You really call that man a sorcerer? He is far less capable than you think. You'll do fine on your own. As much as I've grown to like you, I am not a man known for his nice helping hands. My first priority continues to be my own self.”

While Banner, Natasha and Clint just shrugged, Steve and Thor portrayed the looks of two badly kicked puppies, and Tony scowled.

“Yeah, fuck you too, princess. Let's go.”

As soon as they were out, Loki turned on the TV and let Jarvis search for a channel which would show the scene and the battle.

It would not do for them to be defeated. If the need would arise, he'd go and annihilate their enemy as thoroughly as he could.

So he watched and observed every move they made, ready to intervene, when something caught his eye.

Oh damn.

 

 

“Sir, Loki demands to speak to you.”

“Shut him, I can't speak right now.”

“He is very adamant in his demand, Sir.”

“Jarv, I don't have time right now!”

“He is overriding my protocol as we spea- Stark, you have to leave now. Call the others.”, the smooth voice of the ex-God interrupted the AI.

“When the hell did you learn to hack my systems?!”, Tony wanted to know, blasting another Bot into pieces.

“Irrelevant as of now. Leave. Preferably two minutes ago.”

“Why?”

“There is another enemy, and you do not want to cross fires with her. Do as I say.”

“Fuck you, Reindeer Games. If you want to have a say, come here and fight with us.”, Tony said, pissed off with the endless row of Doombots and their very own Asgardian 'Kneel-before-me'-Prince who suddenly learned how to play team.

“Stark, this is not a game. You can not win against her.”, he heard Loki, not over his comm, but directly besides him.

“So _nice_ of you to join us, Rudolph! What took you so--”

He was interrupted by a blazing fire that had his sensors go haywire in mere moments.

As the flames abated, he saw a blond, busty, and very curvy woman who watched Loki with mild interest. The Sorcerer stood in front of him, green flames engulfing his hands.

“Leave them be, Amora. You have no right to be here.”

She cackled.

“Oh, sweet, sweet Loki. Do you really think I could stay away from Thor and let him make this grave mistake in trusting mortals who will be gone in a few years time? He deserves so much better than this!”

With that there was another blaring gush of too-hot-to-be-normal fire which almost engulfed Loki and himself. Tony jumpstarted his repulsors and snatched the Asgardian before shooting into the sky.

“Stark, let me go! She will not leave you be!”

“Newsflash, Princess, we're a team and we help each other. So kindly shut up and let us talk with the others what to do next.”

Before Loki could protest a second time, he felt vertigo wash over him and felt sick to the stomach.

“Stark...”, he groaned while concentrating.

“Oh hell, you have motion sickness? Really?”, Tony snickered, before landing on a rooftop and letting Loki go, who swayed a bit before sitting down, trying to ease the feeling.

An explosion some blocks away shifted their attention

“Guys, what's happening?”, Iron Man asked, waiting for a response.

“Okay, that is not good. Retreat, if possible make a move to where we are. ... Yeah, Loki's here, too. ... what? No! There is some bitch who crushes on Thor. ... yeah, Point Break, good to know.”

In his head, Loki was playing a lot of scenarios. He needed input to strategize, to see what would be needed to win. Who could he use best where? Was Amora alone? Where was Doom? How many of these robots were functioning?

“Brief me.”, he ordered Tony, standing up and watching the city.

And the other man did, while Hawkeye and Thor arrived. The Hulk roared in some distance, probably smashing something into tiny pieces.

Then Steve and Natasha came with the Quinjet, and with that, Loki had everything he needed.

“Thor will lure Amora away, somewhere less crowded. Hulk, Hawkeye and Iron Man will destroy the rest of the Doombots, while the Captain and Widow see to it that there are no people involved. I'll handle the witch when she's away from the Bots. Work your way through from north to south.”

“Wait, you'll not fight her alone!”, Cap exclaimed over a comm Natasha had miraculously produced out of nowhere and given to him.

“I know her and know what to expect. She's hardly an obstacle.”

“Brother, you have not seen her for almost two centuries!”

Loki seethed.

“Kindly DO what I say! All her tricks she got from me, there is _nothing_ she could do that would truly surprise me! I will be fine, but your city could really need it's heroes right NOW!”, he barked.

Steve knew when to heed a command, and even if Loki was dressed in a pair of jeans and a simple brown Shirt, he positively radiated the general.

“Let's go.”, he said.

“Suit up a bit, Rudolph.”, Stark added before getting a grip on Clint and flying off.

Thor patted him on the back (which left him staggering. Oaf. He really needed to think of his strength.), before raising Mjölnir and flying off, too.

Loki teleported away. When Thor arrived with Amora, he was already waiting for them. Amora tried to sweet-talk the Thunderer, who would have nothing of it, instead attempting to make her see the error of her way.

“Oh, Thor, you cannot truly believe you could be happy here when you are the Prince of Asgard! What are these mortal fools compared to you?”, she flattered, oblivious to anything else.

“Doombots are done with. No one was badly hurt, the team's fine.”, Natasha's voice cracked to him over the comm.

“Right. Thank you.”, Loki murmured, before sending a sleeping spell towards his old acquaintance.

Her head snapped in his direction and her eyes were filled with fury.

“Oh, do not think that something like that will get to me, Loki. You were always too sure about yourself.”, she blazed, getting another blast of the fire ready, while Thor hurried over to his brother.

As the fire engulfed them, she shrieked and stopped it immediately.

“Thor, I really do not want to hurt you!”

“You will cease this at once, Enchantress!”, the God boomed, swinging his hammer and getting a storm ready to attack her.

“Oh for the love of... I will make you see!”, Amora cried and another wave of flames came crashing into the brothers.

Thor leaped out of way, while Loki let himself be swallowed up by the heat and the flames. Thor screamed for him.

Then the fire puffed out like a candle blown out.

“You really need to learn your master's titles, Amora.”, Loki smiled, unharmed, unblemished.

She howled in annoyance and tackled him to the ground. Her grip on his throat was like iron, and he huffed a breath out, laughing softly.

“How... barbaric!”

Thor gripped her by the neck and threw her off. As she landed, a spell was ready on her lips, smacking into Loki's side. Before any effect could take place, he was up and standing, overpowering her magic with his own, holding it in check, while securing her body with another spell and binding her in place.

“You are still my apprentice. We never annulled the contract you made with your blood, and so do remember that the next time you are here, I will destroy you. Consider this your last warning.”, he hissed, before releasing her body in time with her magic, overworking her senses, leaving her as a mewling heap on the grass.  
Thor secured her and called for Heimdall.  
“I'll bring her before Odin, brother. Say my farewell to our friends. I'll return as soon as I can.”

Loki nodded and watched as his brother was taken by he Bifröst before checking his side where the spell had hit.

Oh, that would explain why he felt so dizzy all of a sudden. Damn this mortal body, he thought, before stumbling and falling to his knees. He pressed one hand to the hilt of the dagger – likely poisoned, as he knew the Enchantress – and pulled it out. A shaking breath later he channelled his magic into the wound, willing it to knit the flesh together. While that had worked quite well the uncountable times he did this before, his magic now fizzled out of his grasp, leaving the wound he sported almost as bad as it had been. It had presumably countered the very likely poison, but no more. Pain flared up as he laid back, hands pressed onto the cut to stop the flow of blood, before darkness overruled him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely hope I did okay. I can't write fights. Really, really can't. Mine never are as epic as the ones I read in other stories TT  
> Oh yeah, on that account, I'm not god at science either. Well.  
> Share your mind!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How badly injured is the resident ex-God f Mischief really?  
> Were the others worried at all?  
> Finally a bit of love happens in the Tower - and Christmas, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit shorter today, but I wanted to make the cut exatly there, because it just feels good.

His ears filtered the sound like he was under water. He could hear someone talk, but the words did not make sense to him. And – oh hell, the light was too bright.

He pinched his eyes closed again, groaning softly, trying to get away from the blinding light.

“... wake! Call Bruce!”

Ah, his ears decided to work once again. Then perhaps his eyes could be persuaded to not hurt as much when he opened them again, too.

Pain rippled through his head.

Well, it was worth a try.

“Jarvis, lights down to 30%, if you please!”, Loki heard Steve's voice, gentle and soft. The white streak dimmed, and his head hurt a bit less.

When he pried open his left eye just a tiny bit, and there was no bright-as-the-sun light pointing into his skull, he relaxed and settled for watching his surroundings.

Steve stood at the door, speaking with Natasha, while Clint was sitting in a chair besides him. There was a strange sort of pole standing besides the bed he lay in, with a bottle and some sort of tube that led somewhere at the floor. He did not care enough to look further.

“Don't move. Bruce's here in a minute and then we'll see what to do with you. Idiot.”, the archer said before Loki could even move another muscle.

“What...”

Norns! What happened to his voice?! He cleared his throat, and it burned.

“Don't try to speak until you're able to sit up. I'll get you something to drink.”

Wheezing, the ex-god did as asked, trying to remember what happened after Thor left.

Then Bruce came in, light steps as ever, smiling softly.

“Nice of you to join the living.”, he said, checked the bag in the pole, and rolled back the bedding he currently was under.

Oh. The dagger.

“Steve, help me please.”, Bruce asked, and the superhuman aided him in sitting Loki up.

Clint handed him a cup of lukewarm tea, and the sorcerer sipped carefully. The sting in his throat lessened.

“How long was I out? And why is there no pain?”

“You're on the good stuff. Morphine. It keeps the pain at bay. Amora attacked three days ago. We were really worried.”

Loki breathed a chuckle.

“Yeah, forgive me. I seem to have overestimated the magic this body can handle.”

At the three (four, if you counted Natasha's decent not-staring) concerned looks, he explained.

“It seems I had depleted my magical source by the time I noticed the blood. I could not grasp it any more, it would not obey me. I might have to re-evaluate the correct extend of the powers I can use.”

“Hell, mate, you just almost died on us. Do not do that again, are we clear?”, Clint huffed, Loki shrugged, amused.

“I can not make any promises. Without me, Amora would have flattened you along with your city. She powered the Bots, and the more distance between caster and object, the lesser the power.”

“Just... look, the next time you do something like that, at least wear some sort of armour.”, Steve added.

“The one thing as close to any armour I have is locked up in some closet I can't seem to find. The armour of Asgard I cannot wear because I am not a god any more.”

“And that”, the merry but unmistakable exhausted voice of their own genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist cut in, “is why I've been suiting you up. Won't do to let you get killed because of non-functional dressing, Princess.”

“Nice to see you again, Tony! We were almost worried about you too.”, Bruce said, smile a little edgy.

“Oh come on, you know me. I practically live in the lab!”, he answered, trotting in the room and grinning. As he looked at Loki, his face lost a bit of that brilliance and a faint relieve shone in the brown eyes.

“Good to see you up. Wouldn't have known what to tell Thor.”, he joked lightly. Loki laughed softly.

“He would have destroyed New York with a storm, if I should guess. He never was quite capable of grasping the effect of his power here in Midgard. Upset Thor and you need no enemy.”

The humans snickered.

Yes, Thor would have been inconsolable. He would have mourned for him, and Loki did not want to inflict such pain upon him any more.

Closing his eyes once more, Loki searched for his magic and found a steady stream. Three days had been enough to refill it almost completely, as he did not do anything else as sleeping.

“Could you help me get rid of those bandages and the thread you have stitched me up with? It will disrupt my healing.”, he bid.

“It holds the wound closed. Please don't try to pry it out.”, Bruce said, worry in his eyes. Loki smiled softly, warmed by the feeling of being liked.

“I know you have patched up my liver and my kidney, and the thread there will not affect it as it is dissolving as we speak. The outside one I dare not fiddle with.”, he said, while his left hand hovered over the aforementioned organs, the faint green glow of his fingers illuminating the sheets. He felt better the second they had mended, the only thing left to heal the outside wound on the skin where the stitches sat.

As no one made a move to fetch something akin to scissors, Loki huffed and pouted for a second.

“I am a magician. I can inflict pain, and I can end that pain. I am able to annoy the hell out of your midgardian Master of annoyance, namely Stark, so please do not think me unable to see to my wounds. If you allow, Dr. Banner, I'll remove the stitches myself.”, he said, sitting up, legs crossed. Magic ripped away the bandages, he pried of the patch. Tony winced as he saw the still open cut, encrusted with blood. Bruce and Steve seemed torn between forcing him to stop and vague interest, while Clint and Natasha just openly stared.

Summoning one of his black blades, he cut open the stitches and got the twine out.

“As you cannot see the organs I already healed, watch closely, for I hope I'll not have to do this sometime soon again.”

Once more his hand hovered over the wound, and the glow was back as the flesh mended and grew together, until there was nothing but unblemished skin, not even scar-tissue.

Stunned silence.

“Am I free to leave the medical bay, now, Dr. Banner?”, Loki asked teasingly.

“... gods, you all will kill me if the Other Guy does not kill you first.”, Bruce sighed heavily, getting the IV out of Loki's arm (who was a bit shocked that he had not registered this) and dismissed them all with a wave of his hands. They laughed and went back up into the more or less shared living room in Tony's otherwise private Penthouse. Though Loki was fine, he was exhausted, healing and sleeping for days on end did that to a mortal body, he found. He flopped down on the couch, flanked by Tony and Steve, and swore not to move a single muscle for the next hours.

Natasha switched on the TV and asked for a movie, which was heavily discussed. It took them almost 10 minutes to decide what to watch.

Loki loved every second. He felt as if he had finally found a place in the world.

Here he did not have to pretend, did not have need for lies and schemes other than those he needed to prank his friends.

He felt whole on a level he had not felt comfortable on in centuries.

Sighing contently, he leaned back and enjoyed.

 

 

As Loki woke the next time, the room had been dimmed. The TV was off, and he leaned on either Steve or Tony, seeing as it were these two he had sat between. It was not hard do decide which he would prefer.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty, nice of you to join me again in the land of the living!”, he was greeted, and a small smile settled on Loki's face.

Yes, perhaps he would be content to wake like this for the rest of his days.

There was an arm settled around his shoulders, both bodies leaning on the armrest of the couch, Tony almost spooning up to him.

“Forgive me, Tony. I did not want to... intrude... your personal space.”, he said, not sorry at all. He liked the mortal, on a different level than he liked the others. He was witty, and intelligent, skilled in many areas, both mental and physically. He kept up with Loki, and that was greatly appreciated. Furthermore Tony had a sort of understanding for him that the others had not. He felt oddly transparent in front of him, as if the mortal could see in his soul with barely a glance.

It was both alarming and soothing at the same time.

“We're cool. Just... give Clint one of your nastiest pranks if he ever dares to laugh one more time about it. You missed the whole ordeal he got up to once you were out of it.”

“Oh, I will. I have yet to touch the whole repertoire I've tested on Thor.”, he said, sitting up and brushing his hair back with one hand.

“I'll better go now, too. Thank you for your hospitality.”

Tony seemed to sulk a bit, but Loki would not risk endangering their level of comfort with any misguided attempts to court the other man. He had never seen him with anyone, but, believing the papers, there were no male partners in his life prior.

“I will see you tomorrow, Tony.”, the Asgardian said, walking to the elevator which opened as if on cue. Jarvis really was something special.

“Oh, for the love of...”, he heard the engineer mutter, and before he could step into the metal box, Loki felt himself be pulled around, hands pressed onto the wall, while suddenly there were warm lips on his and his brain shut down.

Their kiss was frantic and wild, more teeth and bites, but it suited them and Loki loved every second of it.

When Tony pulled back, he breathed hard.

“If you dare die on us I'll find a way to your daughter and hurl you back just to kill you again, are we clear?”, he huffed before claiming Loki's lips once again.

The ex-god moaned and fisted his hands in Tony's hair. They were leaning on the wall, hard, pressed flush together as if wanting to melt into another.

Loki broke the kiss.

“I'll try. Hel would love to meet you, though, I am sure.”

They looked at each other, looking for reasons to either go on or stop now.

“Do you... want to crash here tonight?”, the regular mortal asked, almost a bit shy. Loki thought about it for a second.

“I will not be one of your flings, Stark. We'll do this completely or we do this not at all.”

“Deal.”

More kissing ensued. Loki cherished every moment.

 

 

Oh, the others had teased them mercilessly. It had taken them weeks to get peace, even with Loki playing tricks on each of them, again and again. It had been as with a beehive – the more they prodded, the more taunting followed. Eventually it died down to side remarks in battle or the flats.

Thor had cried at the happy look his brother sported upon his return from Asgard. Then he had given Tony the serious “Hurt my baby brother and I will torture you to an early demise”-speak, which had left Tony vaguely afraid of the God, while Loki just rubbed his temples and muttered “I so am not his brother. It is a shame, really.”

Pepper had warned Loki what he was about to do, from ex to new lover, and when he assured her that he was well aware, she wished him luck and pitiless told him every faux-pas Tony had ever done.

Loki still giggled when he remembered the shocked face of Tony.

His boyfriend – ugh, how utterly midgardian – had crafted him some sort of armour in the days he had lain more or less comatose in the medical bay, and he was oddly touched by this. It resembled his asgardian style, with leathers and metal, guarding the important parts of the body while leaving Loki enough space to fight. He even tested it out with a metal pole as surrogate weapon for his skills with spears and staffs. It was very much to his liking, and Tony was paid in full for it. Both rather enjoyed it.

Thor had of course questioned the need for something like that, and when he was told how close Loki had truly come to die, he was almost up to Asgard again, begging his father to return what he had taken from his brother.

The Sorcerer had talked to him and calmed him. He would not be this careless again, and Odin would reinstate his power when he thought Loki had learned his lesson. Whatever and whenever that would be.

So the Thunderer had stayed, but had a close eye on the younger one in the following fights against any attacks that they were called to.

Somewhere in between, Coulson had informed them that Fury really was not as approving of Loki now fighting for them as he had seemed. It bothered him to some extend that the one who had almost destroyed the city now helped them guard it, but he trusted them and did not speak of it again.

And then Christmas came along. Thor and Loki were fascinated with the season, all bright and brilliant and jolly, something so traditional in a place as evolving as Midgard, a feast the humans celebrated for centuries, and would for centuries to come. Something based of a being that had lived even before them. While Thor was mesmerized by the food, the drinks, the little traditions like mistletoes and the like, Loki was intrigued by the believe, the music (starting with the middle ages and chorals, chants, ending with the newest Pop-Song that was just cruel to hear), the background of it.

Yeah, talk about two brothers.

Tony had dragged him to a Christmas play, they had sat together and watched almost every movie that revolved around the holiday, and they planned a party at Christmas Eve, inviting Pepper, Coulson, Fury, and of course Jane, as Thor would love to spend the holiday with her. Darcy would come along as well, by default.

A week before the feast, there was another hard attack to the city, which left them hurt and sore for days. Loki mended the wounds as far as he could, but New York had taken great damage. Again.

What was it with villains and New York?

But, the armour Tony had made for Loki worked brilliantly, and the tall man would never part with it, whatever happened.

They sat in the living room, groaning and whining, and it all was so pathetic that Loki just could not suppress the laughter that bubbled up as he eyed his comrades. Thor sported a black eye that most likely would be gone the next morning, Clint had a slight concussion and pressed a bottle against his head, Natasha lamented over the catsuit that now was trash, Bruce tried to get back into focus, sitting on the floor and meditating. Tony complained about the numerous repairs he had yet again to do on his suit, Steve had a sprained wrist from where his own shield had caught Mjölnir while attached to him, and Loki himself felt as if a bilgesnipe had trampled him down.

As he watched them, so utterly human, with their petty whims, he could not hold onto himself. He laughed huskily just because everything was so damn perfect.

He would never want to be somewhere else as of now. This was his place. This was where he belonged.

When the Avengers joined in, his heart mended in places he never thought possible.

 

 

The party had been glorious. They had had so much fun, had eaten, stories were told. They had drunk strange things, red wine with spices, hot chocolate with some sort of white, soft, sugary sweet, hot apple cider, mead, and hundred's of other things.

They had watched another movie, had played some silly games, and just as some clock had struck midnight, Loki had opened the door which lead to the balcony where Thor and he had fought half a year before. He had stretched out his right hand, tugging softly on his glamour, and had asked Thor to kindly summon clouds without thunder or lightning. His brother had done as he wanted and as the creamy white of his hand changed into a soft, dark blue, a heavy snowfall had set in, coating the city in a thick, white blanket in no time at all.

Pepper, Jane and Darcy had kissed him while thanking him profoundly for “The whitest Christmas ever”. They glowed with joy and with the right push at the right time, albeit a little drunk, Pepper had been shoved into Phil, and they were not seen for the rest of the night.

Jane and Thor hung together like they were glued on the hips. Loki thought she would make a fitting queen someday. She was bright and kind, and Thor could use someone not afraid to call him idiot once in a while.

“Okay, we'll call it a night! See you!”, Tony had said some time later and dragged Loki into the penthouse bedroom. There he had ravished the green eyed man until they could not move any more.

Bathed in afterglow, Loki had muttered words he never spoke before to any lover.

“I love you.”

And Tony had responded with the same words, kissing him as if his life depended on it, caressing his body and soul beyond expectation.

As dawn settled, Loki awoke, curled into his lover, limbs entangled. He kissed the top of Tony's head before shifting and leaving the room to get a bit of fresh air. It was inhumanly cold, but he did not mind too much, his magic and the heritage of Jötunheim easing the temperature somewhat.

“Heimdall.”, he called softly.

“I know you can hear me. I have a message for Odin. Relay it to him.”

He sat down, cross legged, while snowflakes danced around in the air.

“I have found my place. I have found souls I'll protect with every fibre of my being, that I would do anything for. I need them, and they need me. They are as broken as me, and yet they are capable of love deeper than I could ever imagine. They mend what was hurt, in their own way. They will not bring my children back, I know that, but the hurt I feel dwindles with every day I am able to be with them. If the claim of the Allfather is true, and he does love me, then he will spare me my godhood in favour of living this life with them. I do not want it back, for I could not live a day without them any more. I do not want to live longer than them. They are my family, and I cannot lose them. Even if it means I'll never see any of you again, this is what I choose. If you love me, you will understand. Take care of my son for me.”, Loki whispered and watched the sky. The clouds were thick and dark, but a faint light broke through. The sun would go up again, and as the day approached, Loki felt free for the first time in many years.

The raven haired man would never know, but in this moment, the Allfather swallowed the words he had been ready to speak, which would have given back what was taken, and stared forlorn into the empty room before him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit fluff for the in between, some more Christmas, some threat, some Answers.  
> And some coming to terms.

 

 

It was almost noon as they trotted back into the living room. The giant tree Tony had gotten was guarding a hoard of presents. Thor and Clint were eager as children as they sorted the packages into piles, ripping off their papers as soon as they were all distributed.

There were a great many gag-gifts, because, really, what should you get a billionaire? They stroked his ever narcissistic ego with ties which had little Iron Man helmets on, a little action figure of him that would talk if pressed at the arc-reactor and other feeble things, but Tony enjoyed it and thanked them wholeheartedly. Tony had gifted them all a voucher for a holiday, ready whenever, in his home in Malibu or the newly acquired Island in the Caribbean Sea, which had shocked Pepper a bit.

“You bought an _island_? When? And why?!”

“Hey, I'm entitled to! Maniac, insane, insanely rich to top that, why the hell not?”

Loki snickered.

“I truly love that you humans have deemed Hel worthy enough to worship her in a swear-word.”

Natasha snorted and looked for Bruce.

“Thank you two lab geeks for the new suit. I hope this one will last longer.”

Clint and Thor were happily munching on the cookies Loki had made for them. As Steve wanted to knew why they were the only ones who were allowed to taste them, Bruce had just chuckled lightly and Loki grinned widely.

“I have a batch in the kitchen. But, you know me. God of Mischief and all that.”

It was ten minutes later that both cookie monsters grew bright yellow and violet feathers. The room burst into laughter while the birds groaned.

“Oh just you wait, cow, you will regret that! Come here and face me like a man!, Thor roared, before chasing Loki through the loft.

“Cow? Have I missed something?”, Jane asked when Thor ran past her. He answered as booming as ever.

“That ridiculous helmet of his!” whereat Loki replied “Please, your helmet actually displays feathers! It is just fitting that you do the same!”

Thor stopped dead in his tracks.

“Do not the Jotuns have horns as well?”, he asked, brightly grinning. Loki's jaw dropped.

“What? No! I do not have horns! I may share their skincolour, but not that!”, he exclaimed, a bit outraged as his brother laughed heartily.

“You will never be rid of that, Loki!”, he said and smiled widely as the feathers retreated and he kissed his Jane loudly.

“Oh Norns.”

They continued to unwrap presents, and Loki was showered with so much interesting things he did not know if he had repayed them.

Bruce seemed a bit off as he looked at the book the Asgardian had gifted him.

“Shape-shifting?”, he asked. Loki shrugged.

“Perhaps if you can see the Other Guy as something more alike, you could be able to control him. It's a book from Asgard, I had Thor bring it back from my personal library. If you'd like, we could talk about that a bit. Shape-shifting is very interesting.”

“Oh, really? What did you shift in, please enlighten me.”, Bruce said, a bit clipped.

Loki concentrated and shifted into a snake. The next shift got him the body of Steve, who blinked in astonishment, then he shifted into a great black wolf, before changing back into his own self.

“As you can see, it is a wide band of creatures I can impersonate. We may be able to control the Hulk.”

Bruce did not seem overly convinced, but he nodded.

“So, Lovebird, what did you get your man?”, Clint asked Tony while checking out the new arrowheads Coulson had brought along.

“A wide range of his favoured music, along with some concert-tickets.”

“Yes, and I do love you for getting me backstage to Muse!”, Loki commented before pecking him on the lips.

“Anything for you, babe!”

Pepper coughed highly amused.

“And what did you get in return?”, Steve asked, very interested.

“Surprisingly, nothing as of yet. Why is that, Lokes? Something too private for delicate ears?”, Tony said, wriggling his eyebrows, and Loki chuckled.

“I know you would like that, you deviant. No, it is more of a very, very personal matter. It... I may have means to rid you of the metal shards surrounding your heart.”

Pepper let her glass drop, while Tony stared at him with wide, unbelieving eyes.

“You what?”, he croaked, before coughing.

“If I coax the shards out and heal you at the same time, it could be possible. I have enough control over any matter that I could pull out everything. But I imagine it to be quite painful.”

In the near perfect silence he felt very vulnerable. Perhaps that had not been the best idea ever.

“It... was just an idea. I have a backup gift, if you don't like it.”, the sorcerer said quietly.

“Where did you even get the info of the shrapnel?”, Tony wanted to know. He seemed flustered.

“I checked you all over last week. I do not know why you have them nor will I press you into telling me, but I figured that the arc-reactor holds them at bay.”

He was a bit surprised as he suddenly got his arms full of male human who tried to snog him into unconsciousness.

Clint whistled, while Steve went red as a beet, Natasha giggling slightly.

“If you can do this, I'll found a religion for you.”, Tony said after releasing him.

Loki grinned.

“Too late for that, exists already. It's called Rökkatrú.”

A few eyebrows shot up.

“Really?”

Loki nodded.

“Yeah, if I can trust Wikipedia. And I do, to an extend.”

 

 

“So, what exactly are you going to do? Not that I don't trust you, Princess, but, you know, close to my heart and all that.”

They were lying in Tony's bed, the smaller one cuddled into the crook of Loki's arm. The taller one stroked the part between the reactor and the place where his heart beat, inspecting the movement of the shards. They lay exactly as they had the week before. The reactor worked perfectly.

“I will tug at the shards, one at a time, until it is no longer embedded in your chest. I'll heal any damage they will do on their way instantly, so that you will not have to fear. It would probably be best if you were not awake for it. The calmer the body, the more likely it is that I won't damage too much tissue. You will not feel the pain of them gliding out, then, and I believe it will be hurting you greatly. You will keep the reactor, of course, for the time being. I cannot simply remove this.”

Tony swallowed hard. Sure, he would love to be rid of the shrapnel, but he _had_ issues concerning the reactor.

“I would like to have Bruce with me when you decide you want me to try. He'll monitor everything.”, Loki said and pulled him closer to his chest.

“I... will think about it. I don't want to rush things. I sure hope you will be around a bit longer.”

The ex-god smiled into his hair and kissed it gently.

“You will not be rid of me, I promise.”

 

 

“I cannot simply watch as he withers away.”

“There is a way, darling husband. He will not go before his time.”

The tapestry was almost done. It was bright and dark equally, luscious colours flowing into another, soft green, vivid red, golden streaks. Ocean blue met radiant yellow, deep violet paired with poison green. It was everything and more. It was a promise.

“Be a dear and fetch me my thread, please.”, she asked him, and Odin complied. 'Her thread' was the one he guarded, the one binding family together to never be broken again. She had woven many tapestries, but this twine was special in his own rights. It was magical, linking souls together for eternity.

“What did you see that you are weaving with it?”

“You know I cannot tell. I will not. The pointers I am inclined to give you have already been spoken.”

 

 

“Father must see that you are worthy again. I do not understand why you are still mortal.”, Thor said to Loki as the new year was almost a month old. Loki smiled softly.

“I do. Do not fret, brother. It is well.”

Thor furrowed his brow.

“Is this a prank?”

“No. Please, Thor, let it be. It is fine.”

The blonde grunted displeased. He did not like to see Loki like this any more. He was meant to be stronger, was meant to be a god. Thor could not just let him fade away and die in a few years time.

Loki sighed.

“I know you do not understand, but please, trust me. It is as it should be. And should you not be fetching your Lady from the airport?”

The god stuttered, stuffing the rest of the pancake into his mouth and disappearing. Loki's laughter followed him.

“You know, I asked myself the same thing. You've done so much for all of us already, when does Odin think you 'worthy' again? Is this some sick game he plays?”, Tony asked before kissing him soundly and possessive.

“As I have told Thor, it is fine. You need not worry.”, Loki said and grinned at him.

They had operated his gift the week prior, and even if it proved to be a Sisyphean task, Tony Stark was shrapnel-free as of late. He still debated if it was worth getting rid of the hole in his chest or if it would just be more convenient to keep it.

“You know, it would have it's merits growing old with you.”, the engineer muttered, embracing his personal deity.

Loki's heart fluttered.

“Yes, I see it too. You're greying already, someone needs to look out for you.”

“Oi! I'm not _that_ old! I barely hit the forties!”

Loki snickered. Then he kissed him and let the fact sink in that Anthony Stark thought about growing old together. It was like the answer to every prayer he ever had.

“Oh, please, just get a room!”, Bruce said, walking into the kitchen and groaning at the love-feast that happened right in front of him. Tony gave him the finger and snogged his boyfriend. Soundly.

“Ew, that is gross.”, Pepper said as she walked in, chucking a stack of papers onto the table.

“Sign these, Tony. Now-ish would be perfect.”

Loki broke the kiss, grinning, and smacked his lover on the rear.

“I'll be in the lab if you need me.”, he said and left, snatching one of the bagels sitting on the side of the counter.

“You really have it bad, haven't you?”, the woman asked with a sigh, and Bruce snorted.

“That is not nearly the right definition. They barely can keep their hands off each other.”

“You try to hold onto yourself when something this hot is yours to devour.”, Tony grumbled, a goofish grin exploding on his face.

Bruce sighed.

“This is exactly what I mean. They are so sickeningly cute I almost had to test us for diabetes.”

Pepper giggled helplessly, sitting down after pouring herself a coffee.

“He is quite charming. I would have never dreamed that Tony would fall for him, but hey, whatever floats your boat.”

“You don't understand.”, the engineer whined.

“Then tell us a bit. I am curious. How did he manage to snatch your heart?”, the blonde asked, smiling.

Tony groaned.  
“He is just... I don't know! He's perfect?”, he asked innocently, eyes big and chaste. Pepper snorted and shook her head.

“No way. Filthy details. Now.”

After hearing the first two sentences, Bruce left, sure never wanting to hear Tony swoon over someone ever again.

 

 

A week later, Loki awoke, startled. A fine layer of sweat coated his body, his breathing was ragged, and panic shone in his eyes.

“Wassup?”, the sleepy voice of his lover asked, clearly too much gone to register much.

“Go back to sleep, love. Everything's fine.”

Tony grumbled and scooped closer before his breath evened out. Loki stayed awake.

They were coming.

 

 

“Thor, I need words with you.”, the sorcerer said the next morning. Jane looked at them worried. She seldom heard Loki this sincere.

“Of course. What do you need?”

“Come with me.”

With that, he walked out. Thor shot him a glance, but Jane nudged him softly.

“Go. I think this will be rather important.”, she said and kissed his cheek.

So he followed his brother out onto the balcony.

“What is the matter?”

“The Chitauri are coming back. They breached the outer solar system tonight. They search for me and the Tesseract.”

Thor was silent for a minute.

“Then we will fend them off again. Together this time.”

“They will not wait for my command. There will be no first and second wave to fight. They will attack with their whole force at once. I do not know if we are capable of defending this planet when they arrive. And this time, their leader will be with them.”

“Will you be able to withstand him now?”

“Without a doubt. He has no authority over me. He was lucky to find me in a state of instability last time. I will destroy him, whatever it will take. But their numbers have grown. They have grown stronger. It will be a hard battle.”

“We should tell the others. They are as affected as we are.”

Loki nodded. No, he would not allow Thanos to lay waste to this planet. If he did, there would be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he could not find him. And then Loki would call forth Ragnarök.

 

 

“I believe I have an answer, dearest.”

“Then, my wise king, you should take action. Call our sons to you.”

With that, she undid the tapestry and let it pool at her feet. Thor would carry it home.

 

 

“I have been summoned to Asgard again. I will leave soon. Please take care of Jane for me in my absence.”

“Sure, Point Break. She'll be fine! Lot's of awesome toys to play with!”, Tony assured him, and the team weaved him goodbye.

“So, what's up with you and him? Did he pop the question already?”, the engineer asked sweetly, earning a stutter from the young woman. Loki giggled and Bruce smiled sligtly.  
“Oh gods, no! We're not even dating a year!”

“After Asgard's fashion that is plenty of time to be wed.”, Loki said.

Jane looked mortified.

“Please do not tell me that he already plans the wedding.”

“Oh, he certainly not, but I haven't spoken to my mother in _ages_. It could well be that she already set a date.”

The astrophysicist whimpered. Natasha came to her rescue.

“Loki, stop it. The poor girl.”

“Oh, you mistake my sincerity for jesting, Miss Romanoff. It is as I said. Most Asgardians are scandalized by a long engagement, even more so when there is no engagement, and the couple is involved already. My own engagement lasted not even two months before we were wed. And it is high time that Thor weds. He is to be king.”

Jane whined pitiful.  
“Wait, did Loki just say he is married?!”, Clint exclaimed, earning a giggle from Natasha and a laugh from Steve.

“Am I really the only one who does the reading around here?”, Tony says, barely annoyed.

“Hey, Thor did not now also!” (“How could he miss that? It was his brother!”)

“I was. It was a long time ago.”, Loki affirmed.

“You can't be serious. He never told me that. I can't. What about my research? I would have to abandon it!”

Steve looked at her.

“You said you are studying wormholes, like the Bifröst. If you lived near that thing, would it not be helping you?”

“Steve, you are missing the point.”, Clint said, merrily eating cheetos.

“If she marries Thor, she'll be queen of Agsard.”, Tony said, sounding awestruck.

Jane groaned and buried her head in her hands.

“I can't do that. I'm barely thirty! Thor's what, a thousand years? How could I be queen? Of _Asgard_?? Oh gods, I'm going to be sick.”

“You'll be fine, Jane. Thor could have not chosen better. You will be a fitting queen for Asgard, once my oaf of a brother gets over himself.”

“But... but... oh, _gods_! Queen! This has to be a joke.”

Loki smiled as he conjured a picture of the Bifröst.

“Until Thor gives you time to come to terms with what will arise if you truly want to stay at his side, let's have a look at your Einstein-Rosen-Bridge.”

“Did anyone get the pattern? Jane swears to gods. That's one awful pun, dear. You'll be one, too!”, Tony sniggered and laughed as she threw a pillow at him.

“So, back to you, Cow.”, Clint said, and Loki would kill Thor for that nickname. As slowly and painful as he could.

“You were married? Seriously?”

“Barton, I am raised a prince. Marriage is a political move, and I have had more than my fair share at propositions. That I was only married once in over a thousand years and Thor not even one time is very unusual. Normally, there would have been more alliances like that.”

“What happened? Were you divorced?”, Natasha asked, interested. There was only so much one could learn from Wikipedia.

“She died. Divorce is not unheard of, when one tends to live an immortal life, a change of hearts often leads to broken bindings. But with us, I was by all means widowed.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. I did not want to bring back bad memories.”, the spy said, as earnest as she could.

“It was long ago, and I did not have anything to do with her besides the political marriage.”

“And your children.”, Bruce added softly, replying the scathing look easily.

“I would rather not talk about them.”, Loki said, voice as cold as ice.

“Lokes...”

He shuddered. It was all so long ago, and it still was like a hot, glowing iron in his guts.

“I am sorry. It is a very sore topic. It is gruesome and not for a woman's ear.”

Tony sat beside him and the taller one felt calmer just because he was touching him, even if it was just a leg pressed against his.

“You don't have to. Just.. remember we'll listen if you need to talk about it.”

Loki held onto his hot chocolate as if it was his last anchor.

“Narfi and Vali were the only children I had time with. They were both bright and happy children, and I loved them dearly. Their laughter woke me in the morrow, and it rang out through the day. They were fascinated with nature, so I took them to the woods more often than not. Both of them did not live to see their tenth year. I believed it to be Odin's fault, but as of now, I think my mind played tricks on me. I have made many enemies in my life, and one of them was set on destroying me. He did. As Odin had been the reason for the need to part with my other children, I thought it to be him, but the rage and grief I felt clouded my mind. He was the one who found me after the ordeal, and I just assumed he was the one who killed them.”

Loki swallowed hard. Two more innocent lives, blown out like a candle, sent to wait with his daughter, forever.

“They are with Hela. She keeps them safe until I can be with them again.”

Blanched faces watched him and Tony caressed his leg.

“You know, you're awfully sane for someone so disturbed.”, the archer said, voice thick. Loki barked a laugh.

“Yes, well, I did not have much choice. Sigyn died of a broken heart, she withered away in a few weeks after our sons were taken from us. I returned to the palace, my former duties waiting, and life went on. I had much time to let my feelings win me over, but I am a schemer, and without a clear head no one of my plans would have worked as well as they needed to. For all the father I am, there is a realm who needs a strong ruler, and Thor was not ready. Not by far. He needed help, and I provided it. The realm was more important than any petty hatred I felt.”

Steve let out a long, long breath.

“Wow. So, err, what about Jörmungandr?”, he asked, and Loki blinked, before chuckling softly.

“May I please hear you say his name once again?”

“Jörmungandr?”, Steve complied, looking irritated, while the other one cackled.

“Oh, this is rich. I never knew how butchered his name could sound.”

“Well, Dasher, it's a pretty complicated name to pronounce, you know? Who names their child like that?”, Tony said.

“It's a Norse name, the linguistic has the same roots as your language. It's easier to pronounce if you know how to speak a nordic language, or german. And I do. It is a strong name and he carries it well.”

“So, you know, you actually _cried_ before Thor could whoosh you both away that day. What happened?”, Natasha wanted to know. Loki gazed out of the large window.

“I have not seen him for many years. He was born before I was in my third century. I do not have means to contact him, I cannot even find him, for I feared if I went for him he would be found and killed. I sent him away shortly after he was born for Odin searched for him as soon as he took his first breath, courtesy of a prophecy. My son is said to kill Thor when Ragnarök arises. I gave him the form of a serpent and sent him to Midgard, to guard your oceans. Seeing him was a gift I never imagined I would be given.”

As he thought about it, why did they know about him at all? His brows furrowed as he snatched Tonys phone and googled for the Wikipedia page about Norse legends.

“Why do you humans possess such detailed information about me and my children when even Thor did not know? And, oh Norns, Thor will have a field day when he discovers this. Did you already tell him that your Thursday is named after him?”, he groaned. Who had told them?

“Why are the Edda's so correct about me and so false about him? No one knew...”

“Well, there has to be someone who did. I don't think you spread those yourself. You barely talk about it as it is.”, Jane said.

She was right, of course. But who? And... why?

 

 

As Thor returned, he grinned so widely that even Tony's thousand-watts-smile paled against it.

“My friends, I have marvellous news! My Father and Mother send their regards. They would like to have you visit someday.”

While Jane groaned, torn between the wish to see a foreign world and panic at the queen-disaster, Tony, Bruce and Clint whooped, Steve looked a bit lost, and Natasha looked as indifferent as most times. Loki felt his face lose colour.

“You can not be serious. You know the rules.”

“But I am! Oh, Mother had a gift for you, brother.”, the blonde said, grabbing a bag made of leather and handing it to the younger one.

“What... is this?”, he asked, before taking a peek into it. Confusion welled up inside him as he let his fingers glide over the soft wool.

“She has not woven one in over a century... and I already have mine... is that her thread?”, he exclaimed, a bit stunned and puzzled.

“What's the matter?”, Tony asked, sneaking his arms around the waist of his lover.

“Mother is a seer. She sees what will happen in our futures, but will not speak of it. She may give hints or words, but the meaning one has to search for oneself. A tapestry woven by her is a sign of importance. Never before has a being been gifted two of them. It is... a picture of a soul, so to speak.”

Walking over into the living room, he laid the tapestry out and knelt down in front of it.

“Thor, has mother said anything regarding it?”

“No.”, his brother exclaimed merrily. “You always were the one who would understand it's meaning without needing to hear her words. Work your magic.”

Annoyed, Loki sat before the carpet and watched it. He did not even register that Thor ushered the others out and left him alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to speed up the updating process a bit, so that we'll hit the end before Thor The Dark World hits and blows up anything. Have you seen the trailers? It's disheartening! Really, really bad. Gosh, my heart bleeds for all the unfairness towards our favourite little Trickster.  
> So yeah, next chapter gets us a change of plans, a meeting, and promises.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting, some sweet-talk, and some family.  
> And the impending threat of war looming.

 

 

“So, you are basically saying that if we accept, we'll be like you?”, Tony asked, a bit shocked. He was not alone. All of the Avengers looked like that. Mouths agape and eyes wide.

“You will have a lot more endurance. Killing you will be harder than ever, and your mortality would cease to be, yes.”, Thor said, watching them.

“You have of course time to think about it.”

“Why? I mean, I've never heard of a mortal who was turned into something akin to a god until now.”, Natasha said. She was not sure if her ears had deceived her.

Thor sighed.

“Loki asked to remain mortal in favour of living his life with you. He has given up his claim to godhood and immortality when that entails you dying and leaving him behind, alone. Our father spent weeks in the library, bending rules and tearing them apart finding a way there would be no need in letting that happen. We cannot just let him die. He is meant to be a god, this mortal form is just... inadequate for the mind and power he wields.”

They were stunned.

“He would really die with us?”, Steve asked.

“Wait, I don't even know _if_ I can die! The Other guy seemed pretty glued to life...”, Bruce said.

“And Steve's mortality remains to be seen. You survived 70 years encased in ice!”

“Yes, for now, it would entail you three firstly.”, Thor agreed, looking at Nat, Clint and Tony.

The engineer looked pretty lost.

“He loves us.”, he said, voice squeaky.

Thor laughed.

“Oh, Man of Iron, that you failed to see this is not surprising me.”

“When do we have to decide? I mean, that is a really big step.”, the russian wanted to know.

“You have all the time you need. Think about this carefully. Usually, a human mind cannot comprehend what eternity truly means, but with you I do not fear. Speak with each other, but do not let Loki know. He is content, and happy as I have never seen him before. If you have decided, you may tell him, but not before. Ideas like these tend to stay stuck in his head, and he would walk every path if that would mean bringing you immortality.”

“Okay. We'll discuss it. Silently. He'll never notice.”

 

 

And true to their word, Loki did not. He was too absorbed in the tapestry, trying to pry it's meaning out of it, letting his magic wash over it, baring the strands of hair of every sense he could think of.

It was frustrating. His own tapestry, left hanging in his room, was as clear as water. It was dark and abstruse, light patches scattered over it, a gradual flow of light into darkness. He had read it like a book, following it, going with it. It had led him straight into the abyss he depicted was the bottom of his soul's picture, to begin anew as he emerged to Midgard.

This one was confusing. There was no clear path, no single way it would let itself be read. The colours mingled and stayed apart at the same time, and it just did not make any sense.

“Okay. Okay. Once again.”, he mumbled, fingertips following the single pieces he saw.

“Yggdrasil. But it is the wrong colours. It's energy is a blinding pale blue, not this cacophony of a rainbow. Or is it the Bifröst? Come on, tell me. Open up.”

Muttering to himself, he did not hear Tony arriving.

“There is a shooting star. Does it fall and die? Does it bring life? Is it as important as the tree?”

“Hey, Lokes.”, his lover said before sitting down on the other end of the carpet.

“Any news on this thing?”

Loki ruffled his hair.

“I just can not grasp it. That has never happened before. It is as if I see, but cannot see at all. It's meaning is just out of reach. It is a puzzle, but the pieces will not click. Mother is jesting with me.”

Tony smiled.

“I don't think she is. You need more time is all. Don't hurt yourself over it. Let it lie for a week and then you can go look again.”

“Perhaps you are right. I am blind to notice anything after staring at it for four days straight.”

Tony grinned and rolled the woven material up, placing it onto the counter.

“Perfect. Come cuddle?”

Loki laughed and kissed him.  
“Rudolph, I would not be averse to spending eternity with you if that means we get to snuggle more often. When and if Odin decides to give you back your immortality.”, the engineer said, lying down on Loki and trapping him quite efficiently. Loki smiled softly.

“That would be nice. But I imagine quite boring once the team is gone. Could you bear it? Seeing them die and living on?”

Tony shrugged.

“Haven't thought about it. It's not as if there is a way to become like you without being Steve or Bruce and agreeing to test some strange serum.”

“Oh, but there are ways. Two of them quite easy and not dangerous at all, but highly unlikely. It never has happened before and I dare say it never will. Of course, there are always other ways. I could research it if you want.”

Tony tutted.

“As I know you, they are not only illegal, they would break ten to a hundred rules that define life and death, and be dangerous as hell. Don't. Just... no. What are the other ways?”

Loki grinned and conjured an apple out of thin air. It was golden and shone softly.

“Idunn's apples look like this. They gift immortality and youth, when eaten regularly. They are quite delicious and the feasts in the palace often displayed them. Of course, once you stop eating them, you'll grow older, but if ingested over some time, the longevity would be kept. Mortal once again, but with a very, very long life. Most Aesir consume them as not all of them are gods.”

Tony grasped the apple.

“And you can just magic them here?”

“Norns, no. It is an illusion. I stole it from Steve's fridge. I would not just feed you something that would change your life so drastically without talking about it.”

“How nice of you.”, the engineer said and bit into it heartily.

“Yeah, Steve's apples. Definitely. Mealy. Bah. The second option?”

Loki took the apple from him and ate a bit, too.

“Odin could gift you godhood. You would be welcome to Asgard, would gain immortality and the traits of the Aesir. He did with me, because I am not Aesir by birth. But he never did it to anyone else and he surely will never grant a flock of mortals this high a present. He is very strict as to his rules. I am still not sure why he told Thor you could visit. It is unheard of. No mortal has ever wandered the halls of the palace.”

They jostled for the apple some time before they rolled off the couch and landed with a dull 'thud' on the floor, laughing.

“Whatever. Not important right now.”, Tony grunted and pinned Loki's hands over his head, who groaned amused.

“Do you ever think of something not related to sex?”

“As if you are disinclined.”

“Shut up and move.”

 

 

“They are passing the asteroid belt as we speak. We need to prepare.”, Loki told his team the morning after. He had send his magic out, searching for them, and told the Avengers all he knew.

“So, we need to alert the military. No nukes, Nick. Absolutely not. There is no place they could go this time.”

“I'll see what I can do.”

“If we could fight them somewhere unpopulated we'd not risk the same damage as last year.”, Clint said.

“They will go straightly for me. I've betrayed them, I was the one in contact with the Tesseract the last time. It--”, Loki stopped, face blank. Slowly he turned to look Tony in the face.

“I figured it out.”

“What?”

“Why I could not enslave you, too.”

Loki brushed his hand over the arc-reactor, popping up an illusion in the air which displayed both the Tesseract and the reactor.

“They cancel each other, because they are essentially the same. Congratulations, you rebuilt really old Asgardian technology with scraps. They will search for you, too. You emit a power they will want to have.”

Tony groaned.

“Perfect. So, where to?”

 

 

Valentines Day was a quiet affair. Loki had dusted off his cooking skills, treating them all to a very hearty and delicious dinner. Tony had declared his undying love to the man after the dessert – something called Kaneboller – while drinking wine and enjoying a very different love-feast.

“When did you learn to cook so well, brother? I have never seen you in the kitchens before.”

“That is because you are blind to everything not entailing battle. I have lived outside the palace for months at times, I have not just harvested and gathered nuts and fruits. Surely you have noticed that it was Sif and me who fed you when on a quest. It is a handy skill to have.”, Loki said, sipping his wine and basking in the praise the others showered him with.

Then Fury called and sounded more than annoyed.

“Odinson, I believe this is your fault.”, he snarled.

“I have done nothing!”, Thor boomed.

A sigh.

“The other Odinson. Hell, we need to get you a better name I can call you.”

“It's Loki, Director.”

“Something I can spit out. Like Stark.”

They chuckled.

“So, what's on, Nick?”, Clint asked.

“There is a very much alive, giant serpent in Central Park. There were reports on a similar sighting last year.”

A second later, Loki was gone.

Tony sighed.

“I wish he would not do this disappearing act all the time.”

 

 

Central Park was one great screaming beehive in panic as Loki arrived. People ran around, children cried in fear of the snake curled in itself, emerging from the lake.

As the humans saw him, they cried out for help, having witnessed as he helped the Avengers often enough.

Loki just stared at the animal, which stared right back. A brilliant smile blossomed on his face before he went ahead and stroked the big head.

“How you have grown. I am so proud of you for holding on.”, he whispered.

The snake butted his muzzle on his chest, the closest to an embrace they would get while being a snake and a human.

“You did well, Jörmungandr. How much I missed you, my darling boy.”

In the distance, he heard people screaming, still, not understanding what happened. They thought he had gone all villainy again, cuddling with that monster, but he did not mind. Here he was with his son, the only son he would ever have that remembered him, and his heart could burst with love.

“Thank you for finding me.”

Then the body shifted, shrinking into the body Loki had seen once before, and the young man smiled brightly back at him.

“Father.”

He was embraced in a tight hug, warm lips kissed his forehead, pressed onto the man that had given him life.

Then he chuckled.

“Your humans have come. I am sorry for causing such turbulence, but I cannot shift when I do not see you.”

“That you can acquire human appearance is most astounding in itself. You have to tell me how you are able to do this.”

“Of course I will, father.”

Loki squeezed him softly, kissing him again, before stepping away, looking him over and laughing.

“You are my clone.”

“Sir!”, they heard, coming from a police officer, gun drawn.

“Sir, please step away. This... being... could be dangerous.”

Loki was quite impressed that the man did not stutter. He grinned.

“You do remember it me being the leader of last years invasion to this fine city?”

“Uh, yes, but we were under the impression you had switched sides not long after...”

“He's my son. Of course he's dangerous. Put your gun away, it will do you no good. He will not harm anyone. Jörmungandr has come to visit.”

He hesitated. Steve came running up, giving the officer his trademark 'You have done good, but there is no immediate danger, all is well'-speech, and the man went back to where he came from.

“What did I tell you about running off alone, and without armor?”, Tony berated his lover, after landing besides him.

“Oh please, he is but a child!”

“A giant child.”

Loki blinked.

“Well, yes. But a child non the less. And mine to top it.”

“It is good to see you, father. I see you are happy here.”, Jörmungandr said, smiling at Tony.

“Very much so.”

“I am glad you held to your promise, Man of Iron.”, Loki's son said, sitting down on the grass. His father looked peeved.

“You did speak with them?”

“After Thor brought you to Asgard, I did. You were surrounded by darkness, and you needed help. They provided.”

“Really.”, he said tonelessly. Had he been played all along? Their friendship nothing more than a promise to a creature mightier than them?

Tony grumbled.

“Oh, do not dare think we don't like you, Princess. We knew something was wrong with you the second you gave up. Jör just confirmed it. Come on, I went to a classical concert with you. What more proof do you need?”

 

 

The whole ordeal turned out to be a sit in in Central Park, at Valentines Day non the less, at it was cold as hell. Even the warming spell Loki cast did not help very much.

It had been Frigga who gave Loki's son the chance to shift back into his Aesir body, and they both had spread the myths. Over the years, these had turned and twisted themselves, as usual, leaving the children as some sort of monster they never had been.

The sorcerer did not know what to think of this. His own mother had broken his trust and had spilled the secret of his children, where he hid them, where to find them.

“She meant no harm. Odin never was one to hear the mortals legends, and she knew that. Queen Frigga only wanted to lament to the world, a world, what her son had to endure.”

Even so, Loki felt as if thrown into an icy pond.

“It was an intimate matter she yelled out to the mortals. What if they had found you? What if anyone would have searched for you? They surely would have killed you.”

Jörmungandr laughed.

“I am well. I am able to defend myself. Please, do not be angry with her, she was so furious wit the Allfather and she would have defied him if that did not mean compromising you. Had she stood up for you, Ragnarök had already had happened by now.”

Loki took a deep breath.

“Okay. I'll try. I will have words with her... later...”, he said, only then remembering that it was likely he would never see her again. Norns, but he did not want to go back to all the hatred and resentment he had harboured for so long. He let it go.

“Not that we're not happy to see you, Jör, but why did you not make an appearance sooner? Loki's with us since forever.”, Clint asked, interested, but shivering madly.

“I will fight with you.”

“No!”, he was interrupted. “You will not endanger yourself.”, Loki bit out.

“Father...”

“None of my children will fight a battle if I have a word in it. I have lost too many of you already.”

The serpent-man sighed.  
“I know this is hard on you, but please, let me help. I am not defenceless.”

His father shot him a look that spoke a clear language.

“I will not be able to concentrate if I have to worry for you. If you truly want to help, stay away and out of their reach. Please.”

Jörmungandr pouted.

“I am not a child being sent to bed, Father. I have cared for myself for a long time.”

At Loki's look, he regretted ever saying this.

“I know, and I gladly would change it if I had the means. But I cannot, and I beg of you to not do anything that could put you in danger. I would never forgive myself if something were to happen.”

The serpent sighed.

“I promise.”

They parted late in the night, with the promise of regular visits.

 

 

SHIELD had chosen a location, somewhere in the middle of a deserted landscape, not unlike New Mexico. The Avengers would wait there once the Chitauri were near enough, and the world's united armies were sent there.

When Loki predicted it would happen a few days later, grim faces were seen throughout the day. Pepper begged them to let the professionals handle it, but she fell on deaf ears. It was personal, especially for the ex-god, and he needed to see the end of the aliens for himself.

Jane knew better than to ask Thor to stay back, having learned the hard way he would never run away if he could help the year prior, as he stood alone in front of the Destroyer. She asked him to be careful, though, and to watch over their friends.

They stayed in Thor's rooms most of the time, coming out only for food and meetings. The others had their own thoughts what the two of them were up to.

“The day after tomorrow.”, were the only words Loki spoke one morning, having slept only a few meagre hours, listening to their fiends and watching them.

Everyone had nodded and went to pack their things. Tomorrow they would arrive at the scene, and they were not foolish enough to think that they would win without a doubt. It was possible that not all of them would return.

As Loki did one last attempt at figuring out the tapestry Frigga had sent, Thor asked his comrades about Odin's proposition.

“I know you had not much time, and I will not urge you. But if you accept, just speak the word. He will know.”

They had nodded and went their ways.

It felt a bit as waiting to be executed.

 

 

“Promise me not to do anything foolish.”, Loki whispered that night, holding his lover close.

“I can't. You know me, I do the worst things on the battlefield.”, Tony had answered huskily.

They had worked their way through the sheets for hours, soft and hard, slow and fast, desperate and loving.

“I won't allow you to die. None of you. If he so much as looks at you, I will obliterate everything in my way to him and he will suffer the same way I did.”

“Don't risk yourself. Not for us. You are meant for so much more. We're just humans. You...”, Tony said in hushed words, smiling, despite feeling as if losing his ground.

“You are a god.”

 

 

That night, Loki prayed to every god he knew, every deity he had heard of, that they would live, whatever the cost. The hope these humans had given him must not be in vain. They needed to survive.

 

 

Jane had cried and had made Thor promise to return. You are to be king, she said. They need you. Come back.

He had kissed her knuckles, smiling at her.

“When we come back, I will make you my queen.”

And she had nodded despite her fear, kissing him.

“Anything you want. Just come home.”

When they had left, Pepper and Jane felt lost on so many levels that they laid out the tapestry and stared at it without saying a word.

 

 

The Chitauri breached the atmosphere at noon the day after the Avengers arrived at the site. True to Loki's prediction, no other country witnessed any attack. They came for him, and for the arc-reactor which emitted the same energy as the Tesseract had.

“May the odds be ever in your favour.”, Tony joked before they went to greet the fleet, much bigger than the last.

“I'll kill more than you.”, Clint answered.

“Bet's on, Katniss.”

Loki handed each of them a small stone, engraved with a rune.

“It's some sort of healing stone. If you are dangerously wounded, turn it in your hand three times. It will heal the damage. It will work once.”

“Thank you.”, Bruce said.

Loki shot Tony a look. The engineer nodded and flew off.

_Be safe._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, Tony admitted it! ^^


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A war. Pain and abandonment. A secret kept until the last minute,  
> and finally, a way out.

 

 

It was harder than any of them had imagined. The aliens were so much stronger than before, and their numbers had quantified extraordinarily. What Loki had led to them the year prior seemed like child's play.

Even though none of the team would say so, they were losing. There was no way they could win.

Loki wheezed. He was tired. The battle lasted hours already, and there was no end to the incoming Chitauri.

His magic was almost depleted, he was bruised and bloody. And he had yet to see their Master.

When he landed an especially hard hit he felt him near.

Loki whirled around and ducked. The staff missed his head by mere inches.

“Thanos.”

“The little god.”

Then lighting struck down and seized the enemy, who howled, and paralysed him. Loki did not think about his actions and just drove the staff he wielded into the body in front of him. Gathering the last bit of magic he could find, Loki channelled the most destructive fire he could (and as the God of said element, that truly meant something, it even did not deplete his resources that much more), catching onto the body on the floor. Searing flames burned Thanos in mere seconds, the howling faded away, and Loki felt as if something had lifted off his shoulders, wondering if ridding the universe of the Mad Titan had not just went too smoothly. It had seemed too easy.

He pushed the thought as far away as possible. There was no time to doubt.

Thor breathed hard as he gripped his arm.

“Hulk has taken care of the Other. There are only soldiers left.”

Loki nodded. It was too late. They were done. None of the others had any strength left. Even Thor was at his limit.

“That's good.”, he said nonetheless. They carried on, a last futile attempt at a victory.

A shriek got his attention, and he ran towards it. Natasha was fighting off four monsters at once, and where she would have killed them in moments in full rest, she was now not longer able to properly protect herself. The trickster brought his weapon down, sweeping two of them off their feet with the staff, kicking a third hard in the stomach, while the russian took care of the rest.

His comm crackled.

“The marines are here, they are taking care of the east bound. Are you okay?!”, Steve's voice asked.

He got a copy from everyone, but they all sounded too tired, to exhausted.

Another bout of enemies encircled them. Back to back with Natasha he fought off the first and second, before getting a nasty blow to his side. His reaction slowed down and he could not ward against the hit in his solar plexus, which left him on his knees, gaping and not able to draw a breath. Another blow followed, and he could feel his lung tear as a rib cracked and pierced it.

Choking, he fell, barely registering the panicked voice of his female comrade in his ears.

 

 

“...down! I repeat, Loki's down! Get help here, ASAP!”, was all they heard.

Tony's heart stopped for a moment, then it clenched hard.

“Coming. Stay put.”

“Almost there. Hold on.”, Clint barked while rushing to the red-haid, killing off two of the beasts in one shot, while Iron Man got rid of the others, leaving the two people alone in a circle of dead bodies. Widow dropped down to her knees, muttering soft words.

“Hold on, everything's fine, just have to find the stone...”

Loki wheezed, shaking.

“I don't have one.”, he rasped. “Used it...”

“Take mine!”, she yelled and searched her pockets.

“You used it an hour ago.”, Loki grinned, teeth and lips all bloody. He coughed up more of it and pressed a hand to his sternum.

“Don't you dare die on me now!!”

“Lokes! God, Lokes, what did I tell you about that?”, Tony howled as he opened his visor, face distorted in fear and despair.

“Not to... but... newsflash, princess, we're a team...”, the sorcerer joked. He coughed again, a rattling noise, and then the engineer crawled down to him, eyes wet and glassy.

“Oh gods, Loki, don't do that to me. To us. Don't die.”, he whispered.

Loki beamed.

“I love you, you know? Thought you might want to know...”

Then the world went bright, and darkness followed.

 

 

Tony tuned out everything. His heart had stopped beating. For sure, this time. Loki's brilliant green eyes stared up to him, but they did not see. They were empty, as empty as he was now.

Had Loki felt like this when his children died? It was not a pleasant feeling. Tony didn't envy him for it. Why were his eyes so empty?

“...o it!”

What? Tony did not understand.

“We'll do it! Help him!”

Why did Clint yell at the sky?

“Allfather! We'll do it!”

Wait, Natasha did yell at the sky, too?

And then his brain started working again.

Oh gods, Loki had died.

 

 

Thor hammered down another Chitauri as he felt the sudden rush of power. He had wanted to storm to his brother and be there for him, but Steve had been needing help, and even if he could hear all that was spoken at the other end of the field, and tears fell from his eyes, he had stayed and aided his blond friend. Loki was guarded and well cared for.

The Hulk roared.

Thor yelled as he once again _felt_ his brother, as mighty and powerful as he had been. Odin had granted them their wish, as he promised. They would never be alone again. As hope settled in, fighting off the enemies seemed a lot easier somehow.

The Captain's eyes sparkled as brightly as the light they saw in some distance, and he crushed another Chitauri.

 

 

Suddenly he saw again. There were faces in front of him, worried and teary. He had never seen Natasha cry, he thought.

And then he felt it. The power, the strength, energy flowing throughout him, and he sat up, startled.

“What have you done?”, he breathed, panic taking over. He gripped at his armor – by Yggdrasil, no. This was not the armor Tony had made him. He felt the familiar weight of his helmet.

“Allfather!”, he screamed.

“Why?!”

A body crashed into his own, and then another. He was kissed, wetly and sloppy, before getting time to breath. Loki stared at Tony, confused.  
“You're back. Are you okay? You're alive, you're alive. Gods, don't do that ever again.”, the human rambled, and pressed their mouths together again. Loki calmed a bit.

If he needed to be a god to save them, he would bear it. Save the pain for later.

He embraced Natasha, who had thrown her arms around his middle, and broke the contact to Tony.

“I'm sorry.”

“No, no, it's fine. Hey, we got you your immortality back.”, he grinned, albeit crooked. Loki mirrored this expression, before pecking the russian on the head and standing up.

Clint boxed his arm and winced at the contact.

“Hell, you're hard. Do something like this again – dying, you know – and I'll drag you back to kill you again.”

The Sorcerer smirked.

“You already did.”

And then they laughed, softly and nasal, but they laughed, and it felt so strange to stand there and grin like an idiot.

“Hey, care to help us?”, Steve's voice came through the comm, and Loki complied.

“Stay here. I mean it. You do not want to mess with me.”

And then he teleported into the middle of the fight, tearing through the aliens like the god he was, drawing them to him and simply laying waste to them, until no one was standing anymore.

Eyeing his surroundings, he exhaled softly.

They had done it.

 

 

As he returned, Thor gripped him and hurled him at his chest. No words needed, he hugged him back.

Bruce had de-hulked, waiting for them in a tent, while soldiers ran around and checked them over for injuries.

Loki took care of them with a single wave of his hands.

They waited for a transporting device, they enjoyed the silence. They were alive, and none of them had actually believed to get out there. They had been prepared to die.

They had died. As Loki had, all of them had gone with him, for a bit. They were one.

 

 

Loki thought about his newly returned powers the whole flight. He could ask Odin to extract it again. He would not mind. He had been honest when he asked to be spared. A life as long as his without these people just seemed not desirable at all.

Tony and Clint had sagged onto his shoulders, sleeping and snoring, while Bruce and Natasha did the same with Steve. Thor smiled at him all the way from the desert to New York, and it was annoying.

“What? Did your face get stuck?”, he asked.

“I am just glad to see your powers restored. I almost believed you would never get them back.”

Loki closed his eyes.

“Would that be so hard on you? If I were to live just one more human lifetime instead of another millennium or two?”

Thor scowled.

“Of course. You are my brother, and I love you. I mourned you once, almost twice. I do not wish to see that happen ever again. You are by all means meant to be a god, not a mortal.”

As Loki answered, it was hushed, and sad.

“What about them? What when they die? Are you prepared to live on without them? You'll snatch Jane away, feed her one of the apples if Odin allows it, and then what? You forget about the rest? I cannot do that. They are my life.”

Tony poked a finger to his ribs and shifted himself in his lovers arms in a more comfortable position, letting Clint sag down on the other side.

“Could you quit the sap and let us sleep? Some of us need rest for the time being.”, he mumbled.

Loki apologized and let them. Thor smiled again, and if Loki did not know better, he could have sworn his brother had a secret. Keeping it from him. He snorted. No way.

 

 

“Oh thank gods, you're alive.”, Pepper and Jane had exclaimed in sync, Jane latching onto her Thunderer and Pepper grabbing the first person to be near her to hug.

“We were so worried. The news were broadcasting the whole thing, but there were so many, and you seemed to loose, and oh gods, I never want to see one of you like that ever, _ever_ again, do you understand me? No more of those near-death-things to prove something!”, Jane rambled and glared at Thor and Loki respectively, who chuckled both.

“It seems to be one of the things we do not have control over, Lady Jane.”, the younger god said, and Clint added a happy “It's a hero thing!”, to which he snorted.

“Oh please do not tell me you count me in? The God of Lies and Chaos? A Hero?”

“In case you didn't notice, you're an Avenger now, babe. And you single handedly mowed down the latest alien invasion. Which, by the way, hot as hell.”

Nat giggled and left her bag on the floor, before moving onto the couch and getting the TV on.

“Movie?”

“Oh hell, yeah.”, Bruce answered, flopping down besides her.

As the rest of the strangest family ever settled onto the couch, it clicked.

“Oh.”, Loki exclaimed softly, before smirking.

He got back some “What?”s and “Hm?”s, and he fetched the tapestry.

“It's us.”

Rolling it out, he explained. The colours, the pictures, the mix of affiliation and solitary, their places in the Nine Realms.

“What more fitting for Iron Man as a shooting star? Lighting for Thor, of course, that was clear the second I've seen it, the green, calming patch here? It's you, Bruce. The stars in the blue sky, Steve, and this one's Nat and Clint.”, Loki laughed, pointing towards a swirl of violet and yellow directly beneath the green Bruce-patch.

“It's a feather and a spider. Hard to see, I give you that, but there nonetheless.”

Thor beamed, while his friends chattered over this, ignoring the two gods completely.

“We figured it out yesterday.”, Jane said to her more-or-less-soon-to-be-brother-in-law.

“You're the tree. You are Yggdrasil. Without you, they would not be who the are today, you root them.”

“Mother gifted us a truly generous treasure.”, he answered, gliding his fingers over the wool.

“She has woven a special twine into this. Her personal twine. It links souls together. It means, even if we do part ways, we will meet each other again, and if in need, we will know.”

Jane smiled.

“Do you regret being a god again? It seemed so, as you woke up. You appeared quite worked over.”

Loki grimaced.

“I was content with living my life as a mortal. I...”, he exhaled.

“They'll die someday. And I will live on.”

The scientist patted his hand and looked at Thor, who now talked about his own tapestry, all bright and glorious as the man himself.

“Does he think the same about me?”, she asked, and Loki shook his head.

“He will defy any rule in the realms if it helps him keeping you at his side. If you really want to stay with him, he will make it happen. It's what he does best.”

Jane smiled brilliantly, before kissing Loki's cheek.

“Thank you. I'm sure there will be some option for you, too.”

As she walked over to her man, he leaned back, letting the cheerful spirit his friends emitted wash over him.

Perhaps she was right. But right now, it did not matter.

 

 

“Do you have everything?”, Pepper asked. Tony rolled his eyes.

“I will be gone for a week max! Loki has done the packing, I'm sure he has thought of all of it.”

Loki snorted into his cup of coffee.

“There will be nothing you will need in Asgard. You will stay in the palace, every need you have will be fulfilled before you ask about it.”

While Bruce, Natasha and Steve were mostly calm, Clint, Tony and Jane were giddy beyond reason. They were like children, promised to get a new toy.

“When does Thor come? I don't want to wait anymore!”, the engineer said, jittery from adrenaline and caffeine. Loki could practically hear the gears in his head as he wondered what tech he would get to get his fingers on.

Jane shifted nervous on her place. Excitement and panic going hand in hand with her. Clint was just grinning widely, aching for a trip.

“Calm down. Jane, you will be fine. They will not eat you alive on sight. Stark, please cease your coffee intake now. You're awake enough. Any more caffeine and you'll get cardiac arrest. Clint – just calm down. Please.”, Loki said, smoothly. It worked for a whole 10 seconds. The shifting began anew, Tony mumbled to himself.

“I will hex you if you do not calm down. It will not be pleasant.”

Jane squeaked and Clint hushed over to Natasha and Bruce, seeking cover. Tony pouted.

“Spoilsport.”

Thor came back thirty minutes later, having previously cleared everything, happily taking Jane in his arms. She really was a nervous wreck.

“If you are ready, My Father and Mother await you.”

“Oh, hell, finally!”, Tony said and rushed to the door. Pepper chuckled.  
“He is a big, big child.”

“Oh, actually, I think he's quite short...”, Loki answered, grinning.

“You're one to talk! Aren't you supposed to be a Frost Giant or something? Thor's taller than you!”, his lover bickered back, smirking.

“Go! Annoy some immortals!”, Pepper laughed and Thor ushered them to the roof.

“Have fun!”

“We will!”

Thor called out to Heimdall, and the trademark storm arose, catching them and then they were gone.

As they arrived in the other realm, Tony and Clint fell to the floor, while Steve, Bruce and Natasha were barely able to remain standing, as was Jane, held upright by her boyfriend.

“Ugh, this is some sort of mean travel...”, the archer groaned and stood up, rubbing his shin. Thor laughed and helped the engineer back to his feet.

“You'll get used to it in no time. Come, follow me.”

After explaining, that, yes, they had to ride, Jane was settled on Thor's personal white stallion, in front of the prince, and Tony got to ride behind his lover.

“Hold on tight. You do not want to fall off.”

Tony was sure he never wanted to ride a horse in his life again.

When they reached the palace, servants took their bags, eyeing the mortals curiously, but did not speak a single word. Thor and Loki led them through the halls, golden and bright, bathed in a dim light.

Jane absorbed every tiny detail, Tony was dumbstruck. They were silent (a very rare occurrence indeed) and probably wanted to examine whatever came their way.

As they crossed another hallway, Tony tugged at Loki's sleeve.

“Lokes... Lokes, can I study it? Please? Very, very pretty please?”

The god chuckled and nodded.

“If you want to. Ask Jane if she wants to, too.”

“Yes!!”, the woman exclaimed immediately after and a second later, the scientists had a discussion going.

The others laughed. They arrived in front of a great double door, flanked by two guards, who opened them at sight of the princes.

There was a steady noise in the adjoining room which died down in an instant as Thor and Loki set foot in the hall.

“Follow us and mirror what we do.”, the Thunderer whispered at the humans, a bright smile on his face. Loki nodded at the looks he got from his friends and let his brother go forward, as it was custom for the First Prince to lead the party. Loki reached for Jane and took her hand, resting his other on the small of her back.

“Ease up a bit, my Lady.”, he said as he walked behind his brother, throwing a look back to see if the rest went with them.

Thor knelt down in front of the stairs, right hand over his heart. Loki lead Jane to his side before taking a step back, assuming the same position.

Steve, ever the soldier, did not hesitate to do the same, the others paused for a second before deciding it would be best to do as been told.

“My sons.”, the strong voice of Odin carried through the hall effortless.

“How joyful it is to see both of you back here. Welcome home.”, he said, smiling gently.

“Have thank, Father. It is our joy to share. I have brought my friends, the ones who helped save Midgard from the Other and Thanos.”

“So I see. Welcome to you, too.”

They did not know what to say, and thankfully, even Tony held his breath and did not utter anything. Odin stood, taking the first fleet of steps.

“Loki.”

The Trickster looked up.

“Allfather.”

“You have regained your power, and proven your worth. The deeds you have done have been atoned in full. I am proud to call you my own. Please, stand.”

As Thor and Loki got up, Odin descended the last steps, embracing them both, before taking a look at their companions.

“I have heard much of you, Warriors of Midgard. Your braveness and courage are well heard of. Please stand up.”

The Avengers did, and Thor nudged Jane upwards, too. She looked a bit freaked. The Allfather went to stand in front of his eldest son, watching her.

“And this has to be the Lady Jane you speak so fondly of.”

“Yes, Father.”

Odin sighed.

“It is high time you gazed at a woman with that look, Thor. You have my gratitude, Lady Jane.”

The woman chuckled nervously and nodded, sure that if voice would fail her.

“Father!”, Thor exclaimed, flushing slightly.

Three of the four warriors standing on the steps snickered.

The noise started to grow again, and Odin indicated the group of mortals and his sons to follow him. They talked quietly, all of this new, and extraordinarily, and _so strange_. A beautiful woman with golden hair joined them, hooking her arm onto Loki, who smiled fondly at her.

“Mother. I have to thank you for your most gracious gift.”

“You're welcome, darling boy. Did you figure it out?”

The sorcerer laughed.

“I'm afraid I lost my skill. It took me weeks to comprehend, even though it was as clear as a crystal.”

Frigga chuckled.

“I believe you have not yet understood it fully. Look it over once again you are home.”

He looked at her as she said 'home'. Did she not think Asgard as his home any more?

“Loki, you have made your own home. Even though you are welcome here whenever you feel like it, the place your heart calls home is Midgard. And you have chosen wisely.”

Entering a much smaller, yet still enormous room with an oval table, Odin suggested they be seated.

“So, Lady Jane. What do you think of Asgard?”, Frigga asked, kind and interested.

“Oh, it is stunning. I still don't really believe I am here. It's like a dream. Although Thor has told me about it, seeing it for myself is indescribable.”, she said, not sure what the Queen of the Gods wanted to hear.

Frigga gave a silvery laugh.

“I am glad we could impress. If you would like, I am sure Thor would gladly show you the library.”

Bruce and Tony looked up at that.

“There is a library?”, the billionaire asked, and Loki sniggered.

“Of course there is. I'll lead you to it when we have time.”

“Have I confessed my undying love to you yet, Lokes?”, Tony asked and was very surprised when the god's cheeks flushed a brilliant red.

Odin and Frigga watched them, startled.

“Have we missed something, dear?”, Odin questioned, eye wide open and with a hint of humour.

Thor stifled a gruntled laugh, and Loki groaned quietly.

“They have been involved for some time now, Mother.”, the blonde confirmed with a smirk and laughed loudly as his brother shot him a glare that promised revenge.

“Well, this is unexpected, but not entirely surprising. Our Loki was always more interested in his own sex. Not that it ever mattered, and additionally seeing as he could change his appearance at will...”

“Mother!”, the one in question shouted, even redder than before, burying his head in his hands, while his friends erupted in cheerful cackles.

Loki never wanted to vanish so badly ever before. But escaping now would not do.

“Could we please just move on to whatever you wanted to do? Please? There surely was something you wanted of them. You do not bend rules for a convenient visit.”, he asked and hoped it would shift the attention from his person.

Odin cleared his throat and nodded.

“Of course. Forgive us, Loki, seeing you with someone you choose because of affection is a rare sight, but it is one I would like to see more often.”

Loki glared at him, too. Odin laughed softly.

“Onto the matter at hands.”

Thor straightened and grinned happily. Loki did not like it.

“My son, I know what you have asked of me the morning after you had your Tree-Feast. I did not like it, but I saw that it was what you wanted, and I did no find it in me to deny your wish, as much as it pained me.”

“Yet you gave me back what you had taken.”

The old god nodded, looking at his friends.

“I have. But it was not my decision, it was that of your comrades. I had not restored your immortality if they had not made that decision, and you would have died that day on the battlefield.”

Loki swallowed heavily, eyeing them wary and a bit confused.

“What did you do?”, he wanted to know, not recalling what happened after his senses went deaf and before waking up as a god once more.

“We accepted the offer the Allfather gave us.”, Natasha easily said.

The Trickster furrowed a brow.

“What offer? When did he make his proposal? What the hell is going on?”

All he got back were severe smiles and tousled hair as his mother stroked his head with affection.

“There was but one way to refuse your wish and not hurt you in the process.”, she said and watched as Loki's face distorted in puzzlement.

“I do not understand.”, the man said and could not quite fathom the knot that formed in his belly.

Odin smiled at him.

“If the only way for you to accept your given heritage back is for them to live, so shall it be.”

Loki's jaw dropped. For a few seconds, he was not able to built a word, and then he fumbled for them, stuttering.

“What? You... I... but...”

His lover snorted.

“I wish I had a camera.”

Loki's gaze fell on him, sharp and unrelenting.

“You knew.”

He shrugged.

“We all did. Thor told us a few weeks ago. We needed time to think it over. It's a bit of a sudden, life-changing situation.”

“You knew and you did not tell me.”, the god sounded quite disbelieving, and lost.

“If they so much as breathed word of this you would have never gotten the idea out of your head, Loki. I asked them not to tell you.”, his brother admitted, not sounding sorry at all.

“And, to be honest, I dropped you a hint. You told me of the two more or less legal ways, and the myriad of other ways you could make us immortal.”

Loki's head was swimming with the sudden realisation that there truly was an option for them. He felt utterly light-hearted and -headed.

“You do not know what you are getting into.”, he said, heart beating faster than ever before.

Clint grinned.

“We could not let you die, and it was the only option we had left. Whatever we will have to work through: we'll live. Pun intended.”

Loki laughed, albeit a bit hysterically. He did not truly grasp the information he had been given.

As he stared at his brother, whose eyes shone with love, sincerity and joy, their father got up and called Gungnir to his hand. Loki did not really hear the words he spoke, he was still trying to get his head around the idea of living with them. Forever.

He never thought he would one day cry out of joy, and he tried very hard to hold back the tears. But as he heard his lover complain about not feeling any different at all and Steve muttering about a shattered believe, he broke down and laughed, while tears streamed down his face.

“You granted them godhood. For me.”, he wheezed out and felt like bursting from happiness and bliss.

“If this is a way to atone for my mistakes, I'll gladly turn over every rule.”, Odin said.

Loki wiped away his tears and regulated his breathing pattern into something more normal, before he let his gaze wander over his friends and family. He could not hold back the insanely wide grin that morphed his face.

Gripping Tony's hand and kissing his knuckles, he muttered, voice thick and full of emotion:

“Thank you, Father.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two Thirds done! Woho!  
> Now that all is well, what can probably be the cause for another 25-pages of Fiction?  
> Stay tuned!  
> As always, Kudos, Comments, Critics are very welcome. Thank you all for doing so already!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of their turning into gods. Ego-boosts, promises redeemed, a wedding ahead, and a bit of getting to know ones true self.

“I really don't feel anything.”, Tony complained and pinched himself repeatedly.

Seeing as Thor wanted to spent some time with Jane, showing her the palace and the gardens, the group had split up. The Warriors Three and Lady Sif had volunteered to show them around, and most of them had accepted. Tony did not want to, and Loki was glad about that. He needed time to cope.

They had wandered off to Loki's chambers, both a bit edgy, and now the former human sat on Loki's bed, searching for his newly acquired godliness.

“Lokes, are you sure your daddy did not just play some magic trick on me?”

Loki sighed and sat down in front of him, gripping his left wrist in a dead lock.

“Get me off.”, he ordered. Tony furrowed his brow, but did as he was asked, prying Loki's fingers off his wrist without much effort.

And then his eyes widened significantly.

“Holy shit. Please tell me you did not just make it easy on me.”

Loki shook his head.

“A mortal could never use his hand again for I surely would have shattered every bone.”

Then the engineer grinned and laughed triumphantly.

“This is awesome.”

“The only unfortunate thing is that you will now never be rid of the reactor. The state your body is in now will be regained if something happens to you. The hole in your chest will stay there.”, the sorcerer said, tracing the rim of the device with his fingers through the shirt Tony wore.

“Unimportant. The shards are gone, thanks to you, and I don't care. It's a part of me now.”

He kissed the other god and grinned anew at this thought.

“I really am a god now?”, Tony asked, self-assured and arrogant as he could.

Loki laughed.

“By the Norns, your ego could grow bigger still?”

“Well, if I have the choice between self-appointed and the real deal, I'll choose the real deal. Of course, for Earth I always was a god, but now I am one to your people, too, and isn't that just so fitting?”

Still laughing, Loki threw a pillow after his lover, before getting one back in the face. The situation rapidly got less clothed, and Tony got to experience the whole extent of godly stamina.

 

 

“Why has Jane been left mortal?”, Loki asked afterwards, Tony snuggled soundly to his side, drawing nonsense on his skin.

“She wasn't part of the deal. I believe she has a bit more to think of before she makes this decision.”

“What exactly was entailed in this 'deal'? Not that I am not very glad about the outcome, but I am very interested.”, the taller man wanted to know, sounding curious. Tony grinned.

“Really simple. You rejected your godhood in favour for living with us, so your dad came up with the opposite. If we would live as long as you would with your powers intact, there would be no reason for you to deny it any more, you could be your old self again, all powerful and immortal and godly, moving back to the family, with the added bonus of having us guarding the Earth for a longer time than we thought possible.”

Loki smiled.

“I never thought it possible for Thor of all people to keep a secret from me. And you! You always babble out everything!”

“I _did_ tell you! You just did not get it.”

He squeaked when the sorcerer poked his stomach playfully, aware of all the ticklish spots. A silent moment followed, while Tony propped himself up on one arm, looking at his lover.

“You called him Father. I've never heard you do that before. Have you forgiven him? Thor's beaming surely almost blinded me.”

The face he looked at changed from smiling to a more sinister mask.

“He forced me to let go of my children in order to safe them, one of them died because of him, one will never remember his father, and one guards the darkest and dullest places I know. I cannot forget, and I am not sure I will ever forgive him for that.”

Loki closed his eyes, rolling over and embracing Tony before the brilliant green eyes opened again, gazing fondly at the engineer.

“But he gave me something that might heal these wounds, or at least let them scar over. He gifted me more time I could ever imagine with you, and with the others, and for that I will be eternally grateful.”, he said, before pressing a soft kiss to the other man's lips.

“Yeah, well, imagine our faces when Thor told us we could live for practically _ever_. I think I actually looked dumb.”

Loki laughed heartily.

“I'm sure I can pry that picture off of Jarvis once we're home again.”

Tony groaned, before falling into the laughter, too.

 

 

In the evening, they met once again in the room with the great oval table. Letting his gaze wander over the scene, Loki smirked, making his way over to his brother and his girlfriend.

“I offer my best wishes and congratulations, Lady Jane.”, he said, kissing her hand softly.

“Asgard will flourish under your kind and wise rule, if you are able to keep my reckless brother in check.”

She groaned, but laughed, and boxed him lightly.

“You always say such bad things! Stop reminding me!”

Thor's laugh boomed.

“One can not hide anything from you, dear brother.”

“Oh, of course not, if you sport a smile which could split your skull into halves. My congratulations to you, too, brother.”, the younger said and was encased in the strong arms of the Thunderer, still almost cracking his ribs.

“My thanks. How does the Man of Iron fare with his new powers?”

Loki chuckled.

“His ego has grown to the double, but he is quite well. It does not seem to affect him too much, as of now.”

Thor and Jane both snickered, one of his arms wrapped around her waist in a loving gesture, while she had her hand on his.

“Mother and Father approve of you, then?”

Jane nodded, flushing rapidly.

“I think I made quite the fool out of myself. _Gods_ , really. Literally, even. Your mother is like a lioness. To think I ever would search approval by my boyfriends parents. What a fine example of emancipated woman I make.”, she said, and the brothers grinned.

“Mother adores you, my love. There is nothing you can do wrong.”

The glint in Loki's eyes warned Thor, and as he opened his mouth, he sweetly asked:

“Have they already asked you about an heir, brother?”

Jane choked on the sip of water she just had taken, coughing violently.

“Loki!”, she shouted, while he cackled under his breath.

“You are awful!”

Thor just looked coy. Loki's eyes widened and he cackled some more.

“They have! Oh, I like this.”

Jane looked incredulous from one to the other, before settling on Thor.

“There will be absolutely no kids until we are married for a long, long time. The humans have means to prevent this!”, she said, but her fiancée just looked a bit debunked. Jane paled a bit.

“Oh gods, please tell me I will not get pregnant by some strange ritual you already performed without actually touching me at all.”

Loki burst out into a fit of laughter, which alerted their friends, who made way to them. He shook his head, before explaining.

“Do not panic, Jane. Thor may be called the God of fertility amongst the humans,” - and she paled more, adding another 'Oh, Gods!', to her list - “but reality in Asgard has it that there are very seldom children born at all. The goddess Freyja watches over the Aesir and decides whom to grant offspring, and whom not. And once you're wed, you surely will be given godhood, too, so human technology will no longer work with your body.”

“Wait, what?”, Bruce asked.

“Medicine does not work on us as of now?”

Thor shrugged.

“As you are of now very immune to any ailments and most maladies, your body healing every damage in short time, you will not need any of these any more.”

“Of course, your pain tolerance has heightened, so did your endurance. I'd like to test that once we get back to New York, if you do not mind.”, Loki added.

They nodded in agreement, all of them interested what really did change, and the sorcerer turned his attention back to the mortal woman who looked really out of it.

“Jane, it could be a century before you will be with child. I was jesting. Most of the Aesir have but one child, while living for centuries or millennia and attempting anything to get another. Children are very rare, and all the more sacred.”

“Not helping, Loki.”, she growled, but her colour had returned.

But of course, now Thor watched his brother, brows furrowed.

“How did you then end up with six children, Loki? I never thought about it, but I know that you were not known for your promiscuity. What have you done to be this gifted?”, he asked, truly interested. It was uncommon at best. Never he had heard of a single man to be father of so many children.

“I do not know. Perhaps it just is a way of the Jötun. Then again, they mate only once every twenty years because of the frugality of the land, and even then the number of their offspring is small at best. Laufey had three children, myself included, and for everything I know his was the biggest family for a long time. Or Freyja just likes me, whatever the reason.”

“It's good we're both male, then, otherwise you'd be knocked up in no time, mh, Lokes?”, Tony said, grinning widely. Loki smirked back, wicked, and the grin went downwards.

“There is no distinction in Asgard as to whom may carry a child, my love. Mostly woman get with child, granted, but Mother has told me of more than one man she was called to when the time to deliver went by. Their number is not high, as the percentage of same-sex-attraction is mostly the same as on Midgard, but it is not unheard of, either. When Freyja deems one worthy, she does not care what sex she gifts. The magic of the realm takes care of the rest.”

The former mortals and Jane gaped at him, while Thor nodded absently.

“So, you did carry some of your children yourself?”, he asked then, and his brother nodded, look distant as he remembered the closeness he had shared with his flesh and blood.

“Sleipnir was my first. I really did not think that it would happen to me, and so soon at that, because I was almost certain that affection of the two parents had to be a crucial factor. Either I was wrong, or I just lucked out.”

Silence greeted him, and the faces of his friends downright screamed 'What?!'. The brothers chuckled.

“You have a lot to learn and get used to, I imagine.”, a female voice greeted them, and they spun around.

“I hope your day was well.”

“Oh, yes, very. The Warriors Three and the Lady Sif have taken us around and we sparred a bit. It was... enlightening, at the very least.”, Steve said, face open and bright as ever.

Frigga mirrored the expression, before kissing her sons on the cheek and embracing Jane.

“Have you calmed down a bit, Loki?”

“Yes. I am still at a loss for words, though.”

She laughed her bell-like laugh, sitting down and indicating them to follow.

“I believe the words you spoke to your Father were the only ones we wanted to hear from you.”

Loki grimaced.

“For all he has done, he still raised me as his own and acknowledged me even after I wronged him. It may be time to let the petty feelings go.”

“Yeah, okay, enough sap already, Cow. Go back to normal and be your chaos-self.”, Clint replied and groaned as his arms sprouted feathers all of a sudden.

“I regret everything I said.”

The group laughed and began to eat.

 

 

The Sorcerer held his promise and showed Bruce and Tony the royal library as well as his own. The two men looked at each other, agreeing on “Candyland!”, and went off, just to return when they found they could not read a single thing.

“Well, you now have all the time in the world to learn Old Norse and Runes. I surely will not translate all of what you want to read.”

They had pouted a bit, but in the end, he was right, and he got them each a book on the language and placed a spell on the paper which allowed them to understand.

With Jane he went to the Bifröst, explaining to her what he himself had learned, and showing her through a mentally shared image how it worked – the flow of energy, the element of the Rainbow bridge, the physical and mathematical equations, and so on. She was intrigued and fascinated, bombarding him with questions and theories, and he answered them to the best of his abilities.

As they left, Heimdall shot both of them an annoyed look, and they giggled as they rode home.

“He is a bit stuck up, isn't he?”

Loki sputtered and grinned.

“He never liked me, and it went worse once I knew how to cloud myself from his view. The feeling's quite mutual.”

He gave his horse the heels, and Jane, sitting behind him, cheered and clang herself to his back.

Arriving at the palace, they still grinned widely, hair wild and tousled by the wind.

“So, for when exactly is Thor planning the wedding? I imagine he would like you to be his sooner than later, and I believe you both have to learn the customs of the other realm, for our wedding rites are... to put it frankly, _old_.”, Loki asked.

Jane huffed.

“We haven't set a date, per se, but he has asked if I could be convinced to do it next year. Of course, I have to tell Darcy and Eric, and my parents still do not know I'm dating a god and a prince at once, an alien to top it, and, hell, I'm just really afraid we'll rush into this and regret it not soon after.”

The god shook his head.

“Believe me if I say that you are the first woman that he was willing to court at all. Of course he had woman before, but what I gathered from the humans, the prudish ways of the last centuries are by all means gone and most of you are hardly blushing maidens. He loves you, and he was willing to defy our Father for you. He would not fight for someone he would not love eternally. It is Thor, through and through. If his heart is set, it will never waver.”

“Defy the Allfather? Why?”

“You are a mortal of normal birth, no noble, not wealthy, rather plain, would most Aesir say. Thor is the First Prince of Asgard and was propositioned with almost every female and male prince in the Nine Realms. He turned them down, all of them, after seeing them. You are the first woman in his life that truly has his interest, but mostly, you're just not the first one that comes to the mind of the court when talking about a future wife for the mighty Thor. It could have well been that Odin would not have accepted that easily.”

Jane rolled her eyes.  
“I already loathe the court.”

Loki smirked.

“My sentiment exactly.”

She looked at him, exhaling softly.

“Thank you. That... actually helped a bit. When... when should he be made king?”

The male shrugged.

“After I successfully disrupted the first coronation, I believe both Thor and Father accepted the truth I told them months before, and settled on letting Thor learn a bit more about diplomacy and a just ruling.”

Jane looked at him oddly.

“He was that bad? Oh, I know the tale, he told me.”

“I barely had said Jötunheim, and he was all but racing off to the place. It would have ended in catastrophe. Of course, then the throne fell to me, and did I not do a remarkable job at it.”, he said, lips curled in a wry smile.

“From what he told me, the only mistake you made was letting in the king of the Jotun. Of course he was not very fond of your lie, but he understands that you did it, that you inflicted the same pain he did by... you know.”

Yes, he did. Killing Fenrir. That Thor truly understood was new. It had never happened before.

“I... was torn between love and hate. It was easier to hate after I found out I was adopted, a hidden monster, living between people who would kill the race I was born to on sight.”

“I see no monster. Yes, you're not the textbook example of a good person, but there is more to you than the Liar and strange Magician nobody liked.”

“You've never seen the monster inside.”

She looked at him.

“Then show me. How bad could it be?”

He hesitated and Jane huffed.

“Oh, come on. I have witnessed the Hulk, seen a bunch of Gods, went to a world that was a myth for all of us until you two showed up, and yesterday I have seen how five perfectly normal people were turned into fucking gods in front of my eyes. Give me a bit of credit. I think as of now, nothing can shock me any more.”

Loki looked around, clearly not comfortable at all.

“Not here. I dislike it, truly, and I will not give the Aesir any more ground to antagonize me.”

“Fine then. Your rooms?”

He nodded, resigned. Yes, she was the right woman for his brother. She'd set his head straight when needed.

 

 

Of course, Tony was in his rooms, flaunting on the bed, reading in the tome Loki had gotten him.

“Should I go and let you two to your wicked ways behind Thor's back?”, he grinned, before his lover sent him a little shock of magic, directly into the arc-reactor. He knew exactly that he zapped him. Tony jerked upwards and winced. Jane laughed.

“So, the door's closed, bring it on.”

At that, the engineer was very interested.

“Tony... would you... I mean...”, Loki started, really not wanting to repel him by changing into something the younger man would not be able to understand.

“Oh no, you don't kick me out. Whatever you'll do, I'll watch. I'm all ears. And game.”, he said, sitting up and closing the book.

Oh, what the hell. He would deal with resentment. He had done it a thousand times already. Tugging at the glam--

there was no glamour.

Why was there no glamour?

“Are you all right?”, Jane asked as confusion went over his face.

“The spell I used to mask my heritage is gone. I am currently full-blooded Aesir and am a slightly bit horrified.”

His mind already processing the information and searching for a way to get a hold on his true, albeit unloved form, Loki sat down on his bed and did the natural thing. Well, natural for him.

He shifted into the Jotun body he had experienced just twice before.

Oh. Of course. It never had been his spell. He just had assumed it was one, and as he had lifted the spell shortly at Christmas, he had been mortal and he presumed that had changed the shifting ability somewhat.

He truly was Aesir and Jotun equally – however that had happened.

Well, it wasn't as if he had not gone through enough changes already.

“Holy shit.”, he heard Tony exclaim, before the bed dipped besides him and the man crouched near.

“You're a smurf. A cold smurf, I give you that, but you're blue. We'll have to get energy readings off you when we get back. Has someone ever told you how good you look in blue? It really suits you, although I had the impression you liked green best, but of course we could change the colour of your armour, and hey, your eyes are exactly the same red as my suit. I really, really like red, I hope you know. And oh gods, I wanna do you right now.”

Jane coughed decently, smirking widely, as Tony winked at her, still focused on his personal deity.

Loki arched an eyebrow.

“Truly? You are thinking of sex? Now?”

Tony grinned and nodded.

“With you? Every damn second of the day.”

Jane guffawed. “See, you're just another colour as the rest of us. Nothing as bad as you thought. I, err... give you some privacy now, else Stark pounces you while I have to watch.”

As she closed the door, a “Don't pretend you wouldn't love it!” followed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, finally I got a estimated chapter-count! Five to go, folks, and then we're done with "Finding Home"!  
> This one was rather fluffy, I promise it will get harder again.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of mischief ahead...

The week they wanted to stay was over before they knew it, and after a long ceremony of goodbyes, they returned to Earth.

The first thing they noticed was how easily something could break. Tony destroyed _the_ window while trying to open the door to his penthouse. Natasha grabbed the remote too hard and it crumbled like dust, while Clint unhinged a door of a cupboard in the kitchen. Steve crushed a mug. Only Bruce handled his new strength remarkably well. Jane roared with laughter as the brothers grinned with amusement.

“Oh, Jane, darling, I'll watch your every step once you're one of us, too. Promise.”, Tony muttered, before cautiously sitting down on his couch. He eyed his window sadly. He had changed the damn thing one too many times already.

“What the actual hell happened here?!”, Pepper asked as she stepped into the room, a faint breeze ruffling her hair.

“Hi Pep! I thought the room needed a bit of a draft!”

Loki chuckled and waved his hand, letting his friends watch mesmerized as the glass knitted itself together again.

“Did you know what the trip to Asgard entailed, exactly, Lady Potts?”, he asked and was actually a bit relieved as her face scrunched up in confusion.

“I was just informed on short notice that the idiot would be missing from the world for a week. Why?”, she answered, and the idiot in question threw in a scandalized “Hey!”

The smirks she got in return let her blanch out in moments.  
“What happened? Oh no, I do not want to know. The less I'm aware of, the better. Please, don't tell me.”, she muttered and rubbed her temple.

“I'm a god!”, Tony squawked out, madly grinning. Pepper rolled her eyes.

“No, you're not, don't believe everything the tabloids print. I swear, your ego gets bigger every day.”

As she walked into the kitchen to get herself some coffee, she saw the door, lying on the counter, and she furrowed her brow.

“Who manhandled the cupboards?”

“I did!”, Clint exclaimed happily, leaning back into the couch. “Steve's crunched Tony's Hulk-Mug, and Nat destroyed the remote.”

As Pepper came back into the living room, it was deliberate slow and with a truly suspicious look on her face.

“Okay, I do want to know. Tell me, before I jump to conclusions.”

Thor straightened and positively beamed.

“My father, the king of Asgard and highest god in the Nine Realms decided to grant our friends the traits of the Aesir and deemed them worthy to carry the title 'God' to go with their name, and all that entails.”

Pepper dead on fainted.

Tony chuckled.

“Trust Point Break to find the most heroic words he could muster.”

 

 

Pepper groaned as she opened her eyes, her first words being “Please don't tell me you made Tony an actual _god_.”

Loki snorted and handed her a glass of Scotch, which she downed in one go.

“We did not make Tony an actual god.”, he said as earnest as he could.

She eyed him warily.

“You I don't trust as far as I can throw you, Liesmith. Steve, please. Go on, lie to me.”

The soldier winced a bit and smiled apologetically at her.

“You know I stick to the truth whenever possible.”

She breathed deeply, gazing at her boss and the rest of his friends, before silently pouring herself another drink.

“What exactly does this change?”

She grew quieter and graver the more they told her about their new power. She almost looked sad.

“So, you won't get any older? You'll never die of old age?”

They negated. Pepper looked put off.

“Well then, congratulations.”

Tony flinched.

“Pep, seriously, we did not have another option. It was chained to Loki. We actually had a few weeks worth of time to think about it, and we discussed this very seriously. Clint and Nat were the ones to accept, despite us not having truly come to a satisfying conclusion.”

The russian shrugged.

“Had we not made that call, Loki would be dead. We had an option, and we took it.”

The one in question looked at the ex-PA.

“There are always ways for you to become a part of our merry little group, you know?”

Pepper choked on her sip.

“Oh gods, _no_! I don't think I want to live forever. My blood pressure would surely not react kindly to more decades of Tony or you all together. It's just... a lot to come to terms with.”

“Then you'll get the time you need. Go on, take a vacation, I'm sure Agent would love to get away with you for awhile!”, the engineer said.

“Yeah, I remember there were some vouchers you gave us.”

 

 

The first thing Pepper did when safely out of reach was leaking a picture of Tony and Loki to the tabloids. They were cuddling on the couch, gently kissing, and there was no way anyone could misinterpret that.

Hell broke loose, but they coped. Groaning and laughing, damning the CEO, but eventually, the paparazzi lost a bit interest. It was but another celebrity relationship.

 

 

A week later, Jane stood in the living room, pacing before the windows, when Tony came in, hair dishevelled, no shirt, saggy sweatpants that clearly had seen better days.

She eyed him and rolled his eyes when he said “Like what you see?”, waggling his brows.

“Child.”, Loki reprimanded him lovingly, fully dressed and impeccable as always.

“Good morning, Lady Jane. I hope you are well, albeit you seem a bit nervous.”

“Yeah, um, well... could I perhaps talk to you in private?”, she asked the sorcerer, fiddling with her hands.

The two men looked first at her, then shot each other a glance.

“Of course. Tony will be in the lab anyway, so we could stay here, if you don't mind? Coffee?”, Loki asked, and Jane nodded. Tony grabbed himself a cup of black deliciousness before kissing his lover and walking off. Loki's fond gaze followed him.

As it turned out, she needed to know about the conceiving issue. And the marriage rites. And whatever would follow once she and Thor would be wed.

“Do you fear being with child already?”, he asked, all joking aside.

“No, Thor's the real deal gentleman and hasn't even reached second base yet.” she said, rolling her eyes. Loki did not quite understand what that meant, and she smirked.

“He has not done _anything_ besides kissing. It's quite frustrating, really.”

Loki guffawed.

“What about the days on end you two would not come out of your room?”

“We talked, we cuddled, we watched movies together. He was _this_ close to actually groping me and went all red and apologetic, and I almost wanted to hurt him if it would not hurt me more.”

“Oh my, he really does love you. He has never held back that long before.”

“Great. Any way I can convince him to be a bit more... um, forthcoming? I'm not exactly strong enough to overwhelm him and have my wicked way with him.”

The god laughed. Hard.

“This is delicious. I'll talk with him, without telling him, okay? He'll never know.”

“Oh, please do! Thor just gives me this 'I do not want to hurt you and make a mistake'-crap and frankly, it is annoying. I'm a big girl. I know what I want, and I already said I'd marry him and he _still_ holds this so distant. Men!”, she growled.

“I'll see what I can do, do not worry. I may not be able to lie to him, per se, but I always excelled in making him do what I wanted. So, the child issue. What exactly do you want to know?”

Jane huffed.

“Are there any ways to ensure I'll not get knocked up the second we're married and Thor finally gets his head out of his rear? I mean, apparently you are able to get pregnant, but did not for a long, long time. Or have you just been... abstinent?”

Loki grinned.

“Just because Thor seldom saw me with someone does not mean I had no fun at all.”

He thought about it for a few moments, before grabbing a StarkPad that lay on the table before them and tipped away.

“I have found a few ways, not entirely difficult, but not as easy as taking a pill every evening. Denying a child is a morally not accepted way in Asgard, but I do understand the need to wait. Some of these herbs were used in the Middle Ages here on Midgard, they are not perfectly covering the chance, but they do to an extend. I could always place a spell on you that would reduce the chance, too.”, he said, giving her the Pad and showing her the herbs in question.

“Whatever you decide to do, before you do it, you'll have to offer your apologies to Freyja. It does not matter when or how, she will hear, but think about the reasons for denying her gift. When she thinks you tell the truth, she will grant your wish. Freyja does not gift if the parents will not be ready.”

Jane smiled at him.

“Thank you, Loki. I appreciate it. It's just... I never pictured me to marry, and now I'm part of a super-hero-community, off to another world, looking at immortality should I wish it... I think I should come to terms with that first, before scaring an innocent kid.”

The man chuckled.

“I do not think you would do that. You are kind and loving. But please, make sure Thor never get's the chance to knock heads with the poor thing. Ever.”

Their laughter spilled into the room, and unbeknownst to them, a tender smile followed them.

 

 

“Why have I never known you to be married, brother?”, Thor asked at dinner.

Loki shrugged.

“You had been away for some time, securing peace in the southern regions of Asgard, and my engagement was a silent affair. When you returned to the palace, I had been living with my wife for almost a year and a half. When I returned, we had not seen each other in almost 9 years.”

“You never once asked what happened to your brother in this time?!”, Steve asked, shocked.

“I did! Mother did not tell me, and Father said you were away learning more sorcery, not to be disturbed or contacted! I heeded his words and just went to search for you once we heard the rumors of a fallen Prince in the lands and his very gruesome predicament.”

Loki looked eerily calm as he helped himself to a second serving.

“It was not as if we were together all the time. We have been separated often, searching for own adventures and lessons, going our own ways. There was no current need to closeness, and I was rather fond of the house in the woods. I needed the time away from the palace and all it entailed.”, he said, before sipping at his wine. Thor smiled at him, and he mirrored the expression.

How had he ever believed living without Thor would be worth it? He sighed.

“I'm sorry for sending the Destroyer after you. And I'm sorry for the unplanned freefall you did in that blasted cage.”

His brother stopped him.

“There's nothing to forgive. Your own terrors haunted you, and nothing harmful happened either way. I'm glad we're here together.”

“So, this calls for some movies! Have you guys seen Avatar yet?”

Most exclaimed a very sudden interest in the film, and they switched locations. As they cuddled together on the couch – no boundaries for couples or the such, they were one giant heap of bodies – Loki wondered what life would be if they ( _he_ ) were to be granted a child once again. This time, it could work out. He would like the chance to see another one grow up for a change.

Then he pictured Tony and Clint with a little child, perhaps prone to magic, completely swamped.

The low rumble of his chuckle alerted Natasha and Bruce, who leaned on his ribcage.

“What's so funny?”, she asked quietly and he shook his head, eyes bright.

“It's nothing.”

He would wait. He wasn't in a rush. Tony would freak out.

 

 

Of course, New York was still prone to attacks of all sorts. But now, the Avengers more played with the ones attempting to damage anything then really fighting them off. Some times, they would draw lots who had to go outside and capture the latest villain. They tried to keep their new powers low profile, but there was only so much they could do. SHIELD had got wind of it after Coulson had visited, and Fury had made his name extraordinarily proud by almost getting an aneurysm and cardiac arrest at the same time yelling at them.

They had promised to do their best at keeping it a secret, and to show good will, they were forced to attend a charity event.

Loki deemed this a good time to mess with people a bit.

So he snatched Jane and Natasha away, took Tony's credit card (“Go wild!”), and went off.

Jarvis hat told the men in the evening that the three had arrived two hours before they wanted to leave, gathering on Natashas floor, seemingly getting ready. With that, they had done the same, sat down in the living room, and _waited_.

“Are human woman as thorough in their preparations as the Asgardians are?”, Thor asked, and got nods back.

“They can spend hours in the bathroom and no one would see any difference.”, Bruce said.

“I'm not quite sure what Loki has to do with them. I mean, why is he down there? Do they need help?”, Steve asked, but the others did not know either.

When the elevator pinged, they all were watching with great interest what exactly would emerge from the silver doors. Jane and Natasha appeared, both dresses in fine clothes. Jane wore a Fifty's piece, honey-brown coloured, her hair done in an amazing braid, and Thor was a very silent admirer of the picture before him.

Natasha was clad in a deep green, very nicely cut dress which hugged her curves deliciously, and Clint as well as Tony catcalled. It went beautifully with her red hair.

“So, where's my man?”, the engineer wanted to know. The woman sighed.

“He had a bit of a headache and lay down. We should go on and have fun, he'll be fine with Jarvis. Seeing as he was falling asleep, please don't go and wake him.”, the spy said and offered Clint her arm.

Tony huffed.

“Well then, let's go and mess it up. Jarv, alert me if he needs us.”

“Of course, Sir.”

 

 

The party was as dull as they had anticipated, filled with small talk and people who thought they would do a good thing by throwing money at some charity they knew nothing about. Oh, they humoured them and smiled, laughed and made conversation, but all in all they met each other at the bar more than once.

“Gosh, it's astonishing how dumb people can be.”, Jane exclaimed. The group nodded and toasted silently.

“Why, hello, I am quite surprised seeing the famous heroes of New York a this event.”, a female voice exclaimed, directly besides Tony and Bruce.

The woman attached to it was a petite, gold-blond haired beauty with striking ice-blue eyes, full bosom and a very nice ass. Exactly Tony's type.

Bruce looked at him wary. His friend grinned, while she ordered a “Sex on the Beach, and please be generous with the sex.” and the grin widened.

“If you and Loki get into a fight, you will eradicate the whole state.”

“Oh, come on, a little flirting does not hurt.”

Steve eyed him and his look said the same Bruce had already uttered. He rolled his eyes.

“Care for a dance, Mr. Stark?”, the female asked again, and he looked her over.

Yes, his type, surely. Nice curves, pretty face, gorgeous dress that accented the thin waist. Creamy skin, eyes to die for, and the hair looked really soft. He smiled.

“I think one I can spare.”, he said, holding out his hand and waiting for the girl to grab it.

As they went on the dance floor, Natasha and Jane grinned.

“That promises to be quite interesting.”

The men radiated lack of understanding, but they didn't elaborate and quietly sipped her drinks.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki's revenge on Pepper. And a visit from someone they all could have lived without.

 

 

Okay, he had not thought that the blonde could follow his rambling about his newest tech and actually add one or two comments that made perfect sense. She was smarter than her outside promised.

“So, I was a bit shocked that you and your CEO did not work out. You seemed to match each other.”

He shrugged.

“We're better off as friends. And what about you, a lovely lady this intelligent surely has a stash of admirers locked away somewhere.”

“Oh, I'm currently seeing a smart man, a bit older than myself, but nothing serious.”

Tony's eyebrow shot up.

“Does he know that it is not serious?”

She smiled.

“Yes. So, are there any strings attached to the famous playboy?”

She looked at him with undiluted arousal, and he gulped. He felt like the prey to a dangerous animal.

“That depends on who's asking.”

Her gaze grew a little inquiring.

“There are rumours about you and the brother of Thor. The one guilty of leading this horrid creatures here.”

He looked sharply at her.

“Not that it's any of your business, but he more than paid his dues and was the one responsible for rescuing us all back then.”

“I'm sorry, I did not want to accuse. It was merely a statement. Are you dating? I'm free this evening, and I sure would like to get to know you a bit better.”

Pressing herself a bit nearer, her eyes still promising very interesting things. Tony let his gaze wander to his friends, who watched him in horror. Or amusement, seeing as the girls were breaking down into giggles. He wasn't sure it was him or the drinks. Probably both.

“What's your name?”, he wanted to know instead, and she blinked.

“Solveig Hakonsen.”

“Oh, your from Scandinavia? How fascinating!”

And Tony went on about everything Loki had told him about the land, the language, and the Myths, and asked her if she believed in the Norse legends.

“Well, as I see one of these gods is standing at the bar and almost killing you with his glare, while another seems to reside in your tower, I have no choice, have I?”

“So, you surely know what abilities both of them possess and that offering me a good night would be a very bad idea if I truly would be dating said god.”

Her blue eyes glittered with something Tony could not quite grasp.  
The song had already switched three times, but he was a bit irked to figure her out.

She laughed softly as he stared at her.

“Well, it seems I hold your interest quite a long time already, Mr. Stark.”

“Forgive me, but you are quite the dazzling sight, and I like a nice puzzle.”

Solveig smiled at him.

“Tell me about them. I always loved the legends of my country.”

And he did. He left away the most sensitive things, but he spilled that Thor loved PopTarts, that Loki was very fond of warmth, how they could fight about the littlest things and understand each other completely with no words at all.

“All in all, they're rather normal.”

“I see. What's it like up in Asgard?”

“It's as otherworldly as it can get. Everything's big and golden and so middle aged, but the tech is astounding, and...”, as he spoke, she watched him amused. He stopped and blinked at her, surprised, before a pout settled on his face.

“Oh, you almost got me there, Reindeer Games.”

“Huh?”, Solveig said, face a perfect, non-understanding mask.  
“Come on, no one knew we were there. You slipped up, Silvertongue.”

“I don't know what you are talking about.”

Tony rolled his eyes and pressed the tiny woman to his body. She giggled a bit.

“You know perfectly well. And just for the record, you are smoking hot and I'll work you through the bed tonight. _Exactly. As. You. Are. Now._ ”, he whispered in her ear and earned a shiver.

She shoved him a bit, gaze daring.

“Oh, so you _are_ free, then?”

Tony growled and kissed her. As she melted into him, he heard his friends gasp in dismay, and he could feel Thor's glares on him, but he did not mind. His hands settled on his lover's waist, as the trademark lighting of cameras went off.

'Solveig' smirked into his lips.

“What do you think I would do if you ever went off to another?”, she asked him and smiled, blue eyes ablaze with mischief. Tony shrugged nonchalantly and grinned.

“I'd never. You ruined me for everyone else, darling.”

She laughed and let him go, before wandering off to the bar. A bright smile settled on her face as she grabbed her Cocktail, sipping innocently, as the boys deemed her hard stares and pending doom. Especially Thor looked ready to murder first her, then Tony. Slowly.

“Almost twenty minutes.”, Jane laughed and Natasha gave her a high five. Steve spluttered, Bruce chocked on his drink and Clint winced. Thor brooded. Tony came back and smacked the blonde on her backside.

“Ow! Stark! Cease this at once, you deviant!”, she chided, chuckling.

“So, when this hits the papers tomorrow, what exactly will you tell him?”, Bruce wanted to ask, calm as ever.

“Nothing. I'll be lying in bed with Solveig here and savour this nice little ass. He won't mind, will he?”

Thor's face suddenly grew slack.

“'Solveig'?”, he asked and groaned. “Loki, really? I almost had an heart attack on your behalf!”

As the others finally got it, she pouted.

“You always ruin the fun, Thor.”

“Wait, you're _Loki_?”, Clint exclaimed, eyes wide, while checking her over from base to hairline. She winked.

“Shape-shifter! Can really do anything that I want to. And I quite like the name, Thor knows that.”

“Fully equipped?!”

She smiled.

“You'd want to know, wouldn't you?”

Taking a sip of her drink, Tony grabbed her hips, and she playfully smacked away his hands.

“What was the cause for this very interesting and most delicious idea? Not that I mind, I like the point that I am taller than you very much.”, he wanted to know, and the woman laughed.

“I still am the God of Mischief, and seeing as Pepper more or less opened up a prank war between us, I think it's just fair that she will have to deal with this tomorrow morning.”

The engineer guffawed and kissed her again.

“She will have your head for this one.”

“Oh, dear, I think she firstly will want to have yours, seeing it would be you who would cheat on the mentally not completely stable, poor little god that almost levelled the city.”, Loki said with big and innocent blue eyes, mask slipping into place perfectly as a reporter walked along, who actually stopped for a second to stare at the billionaire with horror before hurrying off.

Jane and Natasha cackled with laughter, while Clint and Steve snorted.

 

 

The evening turned out to be rather fun once it was clear that 'Loki' was not aware of all this and Tony was looked at very oddly for the rest of their stay. Of course, the chatter exploded when they left, with the unknown blonde amidst.

Pepper was furious, barging into Tony's bedroom the next morning before 8am, hissing like a snake at him and chewed him out like he was a piece of gum.

Loki – still the woman – sat beside him, highly amused and enjoying the show.

“And you”, Pepper seethed at him then, murdering him again and again with her glares, “you will vanish. Right. Now.”

Loki shrugged and did as he was told, reappearing in the kitchen, where he went to make coffee.

The sudden silence in the bedroom made his day.

Then a roar followed, Tony laughed seemingly until he was in tears, and Loki went back with a coffee as black as his soul and pecked Pepper on the cheek.

“I almost was afraid of you, Lady Pepper.”

She promised vengeance.

Loki looked forward to it.

 

 

The brothers went off to Asgard once in a while. Thor still had his duties as crown prince to attend, and Loki went to see his mother, to get on ground with his father once more, and to see to his library. The two scientists he was burdened with demanded food for their brains, and he humoured them to his best extent.

They already had some breakthroughs with the Hulk. Bruce was letting go of his fear, having seen the green rage monster caring deeply for his comrades, sometimes even being gentle. When hulked out, Bruce had a bit control now, or so he said. It would take time, of course, but Loki was willing to help, and Bruce seemed to accept this part of him a bit easier now.

As he wandered the long rows of the library, searching for new tomes to carry back, his mother entered, a worried look on her face.

“You have to get home. The enchantress has come for Jane.”

“Where's Thor?”

She did not know. Loki hushed her.

“It's all right, mother. Find him and send him to us. I will do my best at holding her back.”

He kissed Frigga on the cheek before turning on the heel and disappearing.

He emerged in Stark Tower, alarm already blaring. The Avengers ran into the living room, startled to see him.

“Amora's come back. Mother fears she has Jane.”

Tony already called Darcy, who then confirmed what they hoped had not happened.

“There was this blond bitch, looked a bit like the one you did at that party, not nice to your man, Stark, she sort of tasered me and when I woke up, Jane was gone and our lab was in shambles.”

Loki positively seethed.

“She has gone too far.”

Conjuring an old looking parchment out of thin air, he let his magic wander over it, reaching for the magical signature on the blood which had sealed the contract that bound the witch to him as an apprentice. He let it guide him, closing his eyes as it showed him exactly where the girl of his brother had been taken to.

“Thor's killing us if anything happens to her.”, Steve said. Loki grimaced. Thor would do so much more than that. Or he would do nothing and fade away instantly as he himself would if anything were to happen to any of them.

“Jarvis, I need a map with GPS-Signal.”, the sorcerer said, and when provided with a holographic image he twisted and shaped it until he found the point his magic correlated to.

“Amora is here. I hope Jane's with her. Get the GPS and come there as soon as you can. Clint and Bruce will come with me.”

“What? With you? But--”, the archer said, before being gripped at the wrist and gone they were.

Tony called his suit.

“Let's go. Get the Quinjet ready.”

 

 

The witch awaited them. She was not alone. There was some giant, muscular heap of flesh that swung an axe at them the moment they arrived. There was wood everywhere, a forest of some sorts, with some kind of cave, protected by Amora herself.

“Skurge.”, Loki spit out, before calling a staff to his hands and defending himself.

“ _Hawk, get up there and try to find a way in. Bruce, now would be a very good time to shift.”_ , they heard his voice in his heads and whirled around, mouths agape.

“ _NOW!”_ , Loki snarled, almost getting slashed. They did what he wanted.

Amora evidently raided Doom's Toybox, as there was a fleet of little bots, magically enhanced, and Hawkeye pondered how the hell he should tell Loki what he saw.

“ _I already have it. Thank you.”_

He would kill him at one point. As he tried to fend off some of the Bots, the rest of the team arrived, as did Thor, with much Thunder and clouds and rain. He screamed at Amora to give his girl back, and she only laughed bitterly with the unrequited love she held for him.

“You're a fool if you think she'll make you happy! What does she have what I don't?”, she shrieked, magic unleashed, as fire went to greet them. Loki extinguished it with a swish of his hand, while Tony and Steve were fending off the Executioner for the time being.

As Amora was occupied, Natasha sneaked into the cave only to be expelled once she was hidden in the shadows by some kind of barrier.

“Oh no, you will not get her back! She already is as good as dead!”, the witch screamed and earned another yell from Thor, who now actively was on his way to her.

“Thor! Don't!”, Loki yelled, racing off to him, gripping his arm.

“I just need a few more minutes, and she will never be a threat again. I promise, we will find Jane and she will be okay, but please, Thor, trust me.”, he pleaded, urgently. “You will get yourself killed. She has more power than ever, and you stand no chance in your anger.”

Thor panted heavily, face distorted, but he nodded.

“I'll give you cover.”, he ground out.

Even though they all had the strength of gods, it was hard. The Bots were difficult to fight, and the mountain of flesh who brought his axe down on them was terrifying. Loki set up a small barrier for himself, getting the contract out of his pocket.

“Enchantress Amora, as of now, your Master rejects you.”, he muttered, his magic washing over the parchment. “Your magic will be cast out of you. You are not worthy to possess such power, as you wield it against your people and loved ones. You will swear off your magical abilities to never use them again. You did not heed the warning I spoke to you, and now you will pay the price set.”

The contract cracked, black lines encrusting it while he spoke.

“Don't you dare!”, she shrieked and went for Loki, eyes filled with fury and burning hatred. Natasha intercepted and brought her down, face in the dirt.

As Loki completed the rejection, she hollered with agony. The Bots went down much quicker, only Skurge was as strong as ever, seeing as his Lady was tortured even more enraged and dangerous.

There was a rush of power that disabled Loki's senses. It was too much, too bright, too soon. He gasped for breath as he felt the energy he had taken away from Amora bottle up inside himself. He felt raw from the inside out, as if his nerves were set aflame.

Gritting his teeth, he got up and followed Thor to the entrance of the cave, still warded by the magic the witch had cast. As the flow of power abated, he dismissed the shield and let Thor enter, before looking back to the pitiful creature, held down by Natasha. He scoffed.

“You had better heard my words back then.”

As she sobbed, he went after his brother.

Thor was kneeling in front of a body that undoubtedly was Jane's, but she did not answer to him, or move at all. Fear gripped Loki's heart as he heard the Thunderer muttering soft things under his breath.

Sinking down besides him, he felt for her pulse and let his magic wander over her body.

“Hush, Thor. She's alive.”

His brother let out a shaky sob, leaning a bit on his younger brother.

“Will she be well again?”, he asked, voice thick with unshed tears.

Loki hesitated for a second. He was not sure. Something dark lingered under her skin, and albeit he was healing the gashing wound in her abdomen that had soaked her clothing as well as Thor's with blood, he could feel her slipping through his fingers.

“I will do my best for her. Do not lose hope.”

Jane was pale as a ghost, and cold. Thor waited until the skin of her belly had healed until he gently lifted her in his arms, cradling her to his chest and speaking sweet nothing to her. Loki held one of her hands as he tried to get a feeling what Amora had done to her.

When they emerged from the cave, SHIELD had arrived and gathered the witch into one of their planes. Skurge roared, bound in thick chains that were able to hold him. The Organisation had learned, it seemed.

Amora shot them both a broken look. Broken for Thor, who could not love her back, and pure detest for Loki, who had taken everything from her.

“You cannot safe her. She's gone before you figure out what is wrong with her. You will loose what I lost, too. You cannot bring her back.”, she spat. Loki watched her, interested.

“Oh, do tell. What magical feats did you perform on her that I may not be able to overcome? You are nothing before me, Enchantress.”

“I showed her exactly what she had to loose. What I had lost. Even if you can mend her body, her soul is too far gone for even you to get back, Hel-Father.”

Natasha smiled at her after seeing comprehension on Loki's face.

“Thank you for cooperating.”, and, to the soldiers ”Get her away.”

When confusion went over her face, the Jet was closed off and Loki had taken Jane out of Thor's arms.

“This could take a while. Do not disturb me. If I have need of you, I will call out.”

He sat down, leaned her head on his chest, and took both her hands in his, before sinking into the spell that had the mortal woman floating away.

The darkness almost threw him back out. It grabbed for him, fear and anxiety hitting him full force and leading his head straight to Thanos and the Chitauri.

No.

He had nothing to fear from them any more. He had gained purpose. He had to watch out for his family.

“Jane.”, he called softly, and began searching for her.

 

After almost thirty minutes, Loki called Thor, holding out one hand of Jane and one of his. The blonde grabbed it, sat down and kissed the pale fingers of his fiancée.

She shuddered and moaned.

Another fifteen minutes later, Jane opened her eyes, inhaling deeply, while clasping on the hands that held her and looking around feverish. Thor tried to hush her with soft words, holding her and kissing her, but her breath hitched and the others could see the panic rising in her.

Loki clutched her tightly to his chest, murmuring under his breath in an endless stream, and then finally it seemed to click, and the scientist calmed a bit. Her eyes got clearer, and she did not hyperventilate any more.

When Loki released her into the arms of his brother, almost an hour had gone by. She sobbed and clung to Thor as he whispered things into her ear, holding her and caressing her.

Tony sat down beneath his god, a silent question in his eyes. Loki watched Jane intensely.

“She saw all her darkest fears and nightmares come true. As she could not distinguish between dream and reality, she shut off, hoping to escape. Her mind shut down, effectively taking the body with it. It will take some time for her to recover, I think. But she will be all right.”

“What a bitch. Why did you take her on?”, his lover asked.

“I was much younger than now, and I saw potential in Amora. She was gifted with magic, I was a sorcerer. It's what happens when the situation arises. The one more trained takes on the other.”

And then they went home, Jane safely between them, still crying, but much calmer than before, almost with them again.

“Tell Darcy she'll stay here for the time being.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three more chapters, and I'll be done. Thanks for you all for staying with me until now :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wedding.

 

 

They went to their couch (no, Tony did not actively possess something like a private living room any more), huddling together and watching some Disney to calm down. Loki frowned a bit at the childish show, but he bore it with grace as it seemed to soothe the petite woman cuddled to his side.

“It wasn't real, was it?”, her quiet voice asked some time into the movie. Loki stroked her hair and shook his head.

“They were just fears, morphed and twisted. It will never come to that, I promise.”

She threw an arm around his body and closed her eyes.

“Thank you.”

“Not for that, Jane.”

She smiled and nudged Thor, sitting in front on them on the rug, with her foot. He gazed up at her, lovingly.

“Are you well, my Jane?”, he asked, and she nodded. Thor kissed her leg and she giggled softly.

“How long are the wedding preparations going to take?”, she wanted to know, and her god furrowed his brows.

“For a feast this important Mother surely would need three weeks.”

“You will need to become a citizen of the Earth if this marriage shall be legitimate here, too.”, Steve helpfully threw in, before getting back to watching Tangled.

“Already done, SHIELD got them passports as honorary citizens of Norway.”, Natasha said.

Clint huffed.

“Yeah, the Scandinavians were practically fighting over you.”

Loki snorted.

“They always were. It did never occur to them that we were content with just being visitors here.”

“So, are we delegated to plan the Earth-wedding?”, Tony asked, gleam in his eyes. Jane eyed him wary.

“You will not pay for my wedding.”

“Oh, come on, it'll be good!”

Jane rolled her eyes and leaned over to kiss Thor on the cheek.  
“Let's do it as soon as we can. I don't want to ever loose you, but I couldn't stand it if something happened to either of us and we hadn't gone the whole way.”

He beamed and boomed “Of course! It shall be as you wish!”, before jumping up.

“I'll tell mother instantly.”

The group laughed. Loki stood up, too.

“Stay. I'll go. There are books I promised to fetch, and you surely could help this ball of energy and tell him what you want for the midgardian ceremony.”, he said, pointing at Tony, who grinned brightly, already typing lists on a StarkPad.

“Thank you, brother.”

With that, Loki vanished.

Bruce blinked.

“Is there a reason why you have to call Heimdall and he just goes poof and is gone?”

Thor shrugged.

“There are other ways who link the worlds together, and Loki knows them all. He is not overly fond of the Gatekeeper, so he mostly uses the lesser known paths. I never have been on one of them, I think. It's a magic thing.”

“So, Jane, darling, whom shall I call to get you _the_ dress?”

 

 

The next few weeks went past in a blur. Tony had hijacked the preparations for the human wedding, forcing Pepper to help them, Loki had transported Jane to Asgard and back more times than he cared to count, while the parents of said woman (plus Darcy) were informed and it erupted into pure chaos.

It had been hell to explain what marrying an alien god prince of another world meant, and Loki was sure the mortals still did not understand. They were a bit flustered by the sudden development her daughter showed, one who had not cared to marry before. Of course, there was the added bafflement that the mentioned daughter currently lived with a lot of well-known super heroes who all needed their bit of attention, and, well, it was straining everyone.

Thor was outfitted with a suit, and, wow, did Natasha work wonders with that. He almost looked human.

When the big day finally arrived on earth, Pepper made sure all went according to plan. It was wonderful. There were no reporters, no paparazzi, no papers, just them, and it was all they needed. Thor wore an expression so alive and full of bliss, it almost melted their hearts. He actually said his vows so careful it was a whole new experience for all of them. Gone was the booming, powerful voice, he seemed lost to the world, focusing only on his bride, and Tony joked about decaying teeth because of all the sugar pouring down on them.

Loki smiled and kissed his hand. There had been a flash of something he could not decipher in his lover's eyes, but he dismissed it.

The day after, they went to Asgard, for the final preparations. Jane had to be introduced to the court, as future queen – and that still had her shivering.

It was hectic and stressful, but oh so worth it if the love birds would finally be united under the Allfather.

While the court was made aware of the new situation, Frigga invited them to join her for breakfast.

“You are all well, I suppose? How do you like your new... abilities?”

As the former mortals told her exactly what difference it truly was, she listened interested, as she had never witnessed such a change herself. Or anybody else, for that matter.

While they ate and exchanged their experiences, Thor and Jane entered. The Prince wore a charming smile, sorrow free and full of glee, while Jane's look could turn milk sour. She flopped down besides Loki and whined.

“The court are half-witted fucktards.”, she mumbled, what almost let him snort up his drink through his nose, as he choked on laughter. Tony roared with it as Steve looked pointedly shocked. Frigga smiled in understanding.  
“While that is not a nice thing to say, dear, sometimes they are.”

“My beloved Jane has shown them what power hides inside her. She has bested them in their own games and is more than worthy to become a princes consort.”, Thor boomed while loading meat and eggs onto his plate.

“It was horrible.”, Jane said with a roll of her eyes, and Loki patted her hand.

“Get used to it. Most of them are imbeciles who will not look further than they could throw a stone.”

Natasha and Clint snorted.

 

 

In the afternoon, shortly before the ceremony, Jane asked for Loki to accompany her to the fitting. She needed comfort, and with Thor away to his own preparations, she wanted the next one who could give it to her. As her gown was placed on her body, a deep blue silk with cream accents, he smiled at her.

“In an hour it will be over and you'll see Thor trying to drink all the mead we have.”, he joked, and Jane laughed.

“You can't fathom how badly I want this over with.”

A band of flowers was draped on her head, Loki charmed them to last the whole day. She breathed hard as she looked at herself in the mirror.

“Am I doing the right thing? Is this not just some weird fantasy or a dream, and I will wake up to see nothing has happened? Am I abandoning my research? Gosh, what am I doing here?”

The sorcerer sighed.

“Man up already, will you? Yes, you want this. Yes, it is the right thing. I have never seen Thor more happy than he is when you are around, and for a change listens to someone. No, this is not a dream. You are a scientist – nothing would keep you from researching. Stand straight, woman. Think of Thor's 'kicked puppy eyes' and tell me you could abandon him now.”, he barked, sounding harsh but meaning well. She did, and after half a minute or so, smiled.

“Of course not. Yeah, I understand. Thanks.”

“Good. And now come here.”

When Jane turned, she furrowed her brows.

“Isn't that the spear of your father?”

Loki nodded and looked at the golden epitome of power he had wielded once before.

“It's called Gungnir. It enables me to make you the goddess Thor already sees in you. Father has to watch him, as it is custom for the father to guide his son, so I watch over the rest while they are engaged otherwise.”

Her eyes widened comically.

“And you just stand here with me, hearing my rambling when you have the whole _realm_ to look after?!”

The sorcerer shrugged.

“It's not as if I do not know what happens. With Gungnir in hand, one always sees and hears.”

He beckoned her closer.

“Ready?”

She nodded.

 

 

When his bride entered the room, everything else stopped to exist. That this beautiful a creature would want to spend the rest of her life with him was beyond Thor. His mother guided her to him, as his friends and his brother already waited with him in front of the Allfather, Loki having given back Gungnir shortly before.

Her smile was otherworldly, full of love and strength and trust. The gown accented her features and her eyes perfectly.

Frigga placed her hand in his, and he held it to his lips and kissed it ever so gentle.

“My beloved.”, and she giggled like the first time he had done it, in New Mexico, parting ways.

When Odin called them husband and wife some time later, he felt complete.

 

 

“Isn't it wonderful to watch a pair being united?”, the mother of his lover asked Tony while the feast was in full swing. He smiled.

“Yeah. Nice to see they're happy.”

Friggas gaze was fond and loving.

“And what of you, Man of Iron? Is this not something you would want, too?”

He spluttered, almost choking on the sip of mead he'd taken the second before. Frigga watched amused.

“Gods, me? Marrying? Um. To be honest, I was never one to think about it.”

And hell, did he panic that he said the wrong words. To his _mother in law_. If you could count her that, Loki and he weren't even dating for a year.

“Why ever not? I believed your people to be ones who searched another one for this reason – to be united together until death.”

“Yeah, but times have changed quite a bit, and marriage is more of a statement nowadays. And, personally, I never was the kind of guy who believed in it much.”

The goddess frowned.

“That's quite sad. Here on Asgard, marriage marks a new beginning, the assemble of two lives who become one in partnership. Of course, there is no guarantee for it to last, but it is something sacred and not easily abandoned. It happens, though. Divorce is not unheard of.”

“Yeah, Loki mentioned something like that. Does it happen often that marriage is also a political statement, here?”, Tony asked.

“Sometimes. Not as often as you think, I believe. The other realms are handling marriage much more frivolous than we do. For them, it is a means to state an alliance with another family, another kingdom, another realm. For us, it is a bond mostly of love. Seldom we give in when another realm bids us for marriage.”

Tony snorted.

“Fascinating. The way Loki told us, it's common ground to ship of princes and the like to secure peace and freedom.”

Frigga rolled her eyes.

“For all the genius he seems to be, emotions always were hard on him. Yes, other realms fend off war through marriage. Yes, even on Asgard we make use of the binding of two families. But we never would force someone unwilling to give their hand in marriage, and that Loki was wed only once has to be statement enough. He proposed this alliance to us, and at his age, we were happy to see he wanted to marry. But it has been a long time since then. Perhaps the memories fade and twist.”

Tony thought about it a second.

“I don't think he's so crap at emotions. He's pretty straightforward with them, I believe.”

“Perhaps now he is.”, Frigga smiled. “His own feelings were alien to him, and he thought them to be a weakness. I had hard times coaxing his distress out of him when I knew him to be not well.”

“So, this Loki is pretty new to you, too?”

She laughed.

“Not at all. It's like he slept for a long, long time in a shadow where he felt himself lesser than others. This happy I have not seen him for centuries. The way he laughs freely when you jest, his eyes bright and relaxed, it's like seeing his past, when all that mattered was the game he played with Thor. He is less malicious. He tended to be so when jested at. Now, he's just the mischievous boy I knew him to be when he was not even adolescent.”

Frigga laid her hand on Tony's arm ans squeezed gently.

“Whatever you have done, it soothed the darkness he was lost in for so many years. The Darkness we placed upon him when we looked at Thor and did not see him enough. He lives again, and it is a pleasure to watch. I know that Loki is not as comfortable here as he was when a child, but it does not matter any more, for his home is where you are. As long as you stay together, his heart can heal.”

When the man did not say anything in return, she squeezed his arm again and let go.

“You have a brave heart, Man of Iron. Loki can be difficult, but I trust you to care for him. And for all that he and Thor are different, there is something they share. The look on their faces when they gaze up on you or Jane is a look I have never seen before. Meeting you could have been fated.”

With that, she walked over to her husband, watching over her sons and talking quietly to Odin, leaving Tony dumbstruck and a bit horrified at the realisation that Frigga almost stirred a longing to marry the raven haired sorcerer.

 

 

The world calmed down.

Of course, there were always attacks on some part of the earth, but between seven gods they did not stand a chance. Pepper found new pictures to get to the press, if only to annoy Loki a bit more. He loved it. Bruce and Tony learned a bit more of the old language they needed to get on in their research. Jane moved in with them, since, well, they were married now, and Tony set her up with a personal lab just for her. And Darcy and Eric, if they visited.

About seven weeks after the wedding, when they sat together in the living room, watching some movie about aliens and black men that neither Thor nor Loki did understand completely, Tony watched his lover more than he watched the screen, and it soon grew unnerving.

“What?”, the black haired man hissed.

“Move in with me?”

After a second of unbelieving silence, the whole room chuckled, and Tony felt very left out.

“Oh yeah, make fun of me taking the relationship to the next level!”, he pouted, before being pulled to Loki's chest, one long fingered hand combing through his hair.

“I already did, Tony. I have not been down on my level for almost two months.”

The younger one stared at him in disbelief.

“Really? And you just tell me now?”

“I'm sorry, love. It just was more convenient to remain on your floor.”, Loki grinned and kissed him.

“Yeah, thanks for the heads-up. Any chance you tell me we're getting married before you drag me down the aisle?”

Another round of chuckles ensued.

“We shall see.”

 

 

Life was good.

So it was all the more crushing when the world burned once more.

 

 

It was a bit more than a year after the Invasion of the Chitauri.

There was no forewarning, no time, nothing that could have readied them.

When the fiend came, they were utterly unprepared. And it almost cost them their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters left, very short ones.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The return of someone nobody needed.

 

 

Central Park was aflame. Widow, Captain, as well as Bruce were already unconscious, beaten down and defenceless. Iron Man was dangerously low on energy, Hawkeye and Thor panting with exhaustion. Loki held on, barely, having two sets of energy he could use, physical and magical.

“Thanos.”, he whispered as he caught on. His awake comrades gasped in the comms.

“ _What?!_ I thought you got the fucker!”

“I thought so, too.”, the god whispered, frantically searching for a way to stop the Titan.

Thanos laughed.

“You really think a bit of heat is going to be enough to destroy me?”

Another attack followed. He had found another alien race willing to fight for him, and they were as strong as the Chitauri had been. Loki was pushed back to back with his brother.

“What can we do?”

Loki had no answer. He was at a loss for words, there were no tactics or schemes for him to set in action, to play for him.

Well and truly lost, he could no more than stare at their opponent as devastation set in.

“Lokes, get your shit together! We need you, babe.”

But there was so much darkness. The abyss had found him again. There was no escape. Not for him.

A blow on the head had him whirl around. Hawkeye stared at him.

“If you give up now, there will be hell to pay.”

Loki stared at him.

“How could you ever forgive me for what I've done?”, he asked, once more recalling how he had used the archer for his own plans, who had killed for him.

“Oh no, don't go there. Mate, we have aliens to fight.”

“Could you please get going?!”, Stark bellowed, and that had both of them moving. Loki looked around. This was his fault. He had not gotten the Tesseract. He had failed.

Thanos cackled, and it made his blood turn to ice.

“He was mine the second I fished him out of the Malstroem that sucked him in.”, the creature hissed.

_Mine._

No, the voice was wrong. There was only one voice who was allowed to take any claims on him.

“Yeah, you lost him again when you decided he would make a nice dictator.”, the right voice answered. There was a light in the darkness. Perhaps a shooting star.

“Come on, Reindeer Games. You can't let him get to you.”

All the while, there were attacks on his body, and he fought them off on instinct. There was something he did not recall. When had his memory last failed him?

The Titan roared as Iron Man got a hit on him.

“Loki!”, the once mortal man screamed. “Come _back_ to us already!”

But why? He was the shadow, they were the light. Why taint their sun with his moon?

“Oh, fuck.”, Tony grunted, knocking down another alien. “Thor, cover me!”

And then Iron Man flew to Loki as fast as he could, and Loki almost flinched, because he was as bright as a shooting star and wanted to pry this cloak of darkness off of him, but he relished in it, did he not?

Why did he feel as if he missed something important?

When Tony arrived and opened his face-plate, Loki scrunched his face up in confusion. The brown eyes were so comforting, and they shone like suns.

As he was kissed, forcing and demanding and a little desperate, the light exploded in his head.

By the Norns, Thanos really had done a number on his mind. He broke away and nodded shortly.

“I'm all right. It's okay. Thank you.”

The Abyss would not get a hold over him again – not with Tony at his side, his personal shooting star. He had to _think_.

Thanos was a Titan. He was strong, very strong, but not invincible. He just had to find a point to attack.

Thor grunted besides him as he was hit, and Loki shifted his priorities. First he had to get rid of these aliens, or he would lose one of his friends.

He had analysed them when the attack began. They were susceptible to the cold, as they presumably came from a warm planet or corner of the universe. Loki had not wanted to use it, but it seemed he had no other choice.

Calling forth the Casket only his race by birth could wield, he layered their enemies in a thick crust of ice, efficiently stopping the attacks. Of course, Central Park was a gigantic frozen patch once he was finished, but he had hopefully saved his family. Letting his magic scan the surrounding grasses, he found six steady heartbeats. That was good.

Thanos on the other hand was deeply maddened over the swift solution.

“How dare you! You are nothing compared to me, a Titan! What are you, but a sorcerer without a will, without the needed power? Not even the skin you wear is true. You hide everything you are, little _god_.”, he roared.

Red eyes flashed with anger.

“You have endangered this planet one time too often, _Titan_. I will end you, right here.”

When Loki and the monster clashed, Tony was sure he had seen a supernova.

 

 

_Thanos was gone. Thankfully. Loki breathed hard. As he looked around, searching for Thor, or Tony, or anybody, all he saw was ice. A thick blanket of blue ice that encased everything. His skin was blue, he knew that, but it was not important at the moment. Loki turned around and the ice he saw turned his heart into a solid block of the same thing._

_The metal suit of his lover stared at him, faceplate open, Tonys face a mask of horror._

_When Loki let a finger trace the ice-covered skin, the block of frozen water in his chest splintered into a thousand pieces._

 

 

_Thanos was gone._

_Looking around, Loki heard gasps and surprised exclamations. He turned around and watched his comrades, his family, as they faced him. Fear, he saw in their eyes. Disgust. Horror. Loathing._

_They saw what he was, what his skin truly mirrored, and they did not accept._

“ _You have kept this from us?”, he heard Steve exclaim._

“ _You monster.”, Natasha whispered, and this word burned the most in his cold skin._

 

 

_Thanos was alive._

_He had not succeeded. Lying on the grass, smelling burned wood and concrete, he could only watch as the Titan made his way to his lover. Loki wanted to beg, wanted to scream, but his body did not do what he wanted it to do. Tears fell from his eyes as Thor ran between Tony and the enemy, effectively being smashed into the ground, not moving any more. The engineer wanted to fight, but Thanos was much faster, lifting him up with one hand on his neck, squeezing until his beloved had no breath left and collapsed._

 

 

_Thanos was alive._

_This time, Loki could not shield his mind from him as he had done the first time. His conscience had been forced out of his body, and something else was stuffed into his head. As his own hands closed around Clints throat, he screamed. When his eyes broke, Loki wanted to die, too._

 

 

_Loki awoke, startled. What had happened?_

“ _You saved the day.”, Tony said, sitting besides him. He looked sad._

_Loki stared at him. “Tell me.”, he demanded. Tony swallowed heavily._

“ _Thanos killed Jör.”_

_Loki froze and died inside._

 

 

_Loki opened his eyes. Someone combed through his hair, and he saw Steve behind him._

“ _Hey.”_

“ _Steve.”, he said, and his voice sounded off. Sitting up, he looked around._

“ _What happened?”_

“ _We won.”_

“ _Where are the others?” - Where is Tony? Thor?_

_Steve sighed._

“ _Odin revoked their godhood. You have slept for a hundred years, Loki. They're dead.”_

 

 

“ _I'm sorry. I can't do this any more. Hell, I'm a playboy. A relationship doesn't do it for me. Sorry, Lokes.”_

_Despite feeling as if ripped apart, Loki smiled._

“ _That's okay.” I still have the others._

“ _You will have to leave the tower, too. It... would not be good if you stayed.”_

_Loki swallowed thickly. So he lost his friends, too._

“ _I mean, not that they don't like you, but they are mostly my friends.”_

_Yes, that has always been the case._

_Loki smiled, and went away, breaking a bit more every step he took._

 

 

“ _I'm sorry. You have lost the child.”_

 

 

_Loki awoke in a glass cage, deep down in the darkest cellars of Asgard, cast out of his family, banished to forever sit there. He wept for all he had lost._

 

 

_Loki saw Tony kissing Clint in a way that was not appropriate. When they stumbled into the bedroom seconds later, he shattered._

 

 

_Loki looked at his father, a plead in his eyes._

“ _Shall I beg?”, he breathed, thinking about the people down on Midgard who meant the world to him._

“ _We could have done it.”_

_A minute of silence passed between them._

“ _No, Loki.”_

 

 

“ _You are a Frost Giant.”, Odin said, not looking at him._

_Loki broke._

“ _Go, Loki Laufeyson.”_

 

 

_His mother rejected him._

 

 

_He was alone._

 

 

_The Darkness had found him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last chapter, then it's done.


	15. Chapter 15

 

 

Steve and Bruce stood in the door as they watched Tony. He was pale, hair sticking out like he had been zapped, sporting deep black rings under his eyes.

“You have to eat something.”, the Super soldier said softly.

Tony shrugged.

“He doesn't. Why should I?”

Bruce sighed.

“It has been two weeks, Tony. You haven't even left the room.”

But they got no more response, so they left him a cup of tea on the bedside before leaving the engineer alone.

The door clicked.

In the silence, the only thing to hear were the two sets of breathing.

Tony lay on the bed, curled up against the sleeping form of Loki.

Loki. Paler than ever, asleep, unresponsive, not even twitching from time to time. The only thing he did was taking a breath ever so often.

“Lokes, please, come back to us.”, the former mortal whispered, caressing the black hair, slinging his arms around the thin body.

“Don't leave me alone. Don't leave _us_ alone. We need you. You're as much a part of this strange family we built for ourselves as the others are. You're our Yggdrasil. Without you, we're lost.”

No response.

Gripping a cold hand, Tony kissed it's knuckles.

“It's unfair of you. If you stay like this, I'll never have the chance to see if I liked to get married to you. And I would like to see if I would. I want to have the time to get my head around the idea of you and me together for the rest of time, as long as you want to have me. Hell, I even want to see if we can sprout little demons with your magic and my knack for science. I want you with me in this adventure, Loki. We all want you. Please, come back.”

 

 

_A shooting star pierced the darkness. Loki blinked._

 

 

“He's gone, Reindeer Games, you have done it. And what a show you've given. Full tilt Diva, I knew it the moment I saw you. Please, open your eyes. Regardless which colour they are, and you could turn purple for all I care, but come back.”

 

 

_Were these stars? Loki did not remember how they looked. But the deep rumble he could identify. It followed lightning. But there had not been any lightning._

 

 

“Brother, we miss you. The archer tries to copy your pranks, but he fails every time. There has not been a good laugh around this house for too long. Wake up, you have slept enough.”

 

“Come on, dude. Really, lying in bed that long is not funny any more. We have to wash you and change your sheets. And, man, for all that you look like a toothpick, you're awfully heavy.”

 

 

_A spider crawled around on his leg. Huh. He was not alone. Loki smiled and let the little black thing climb on his hand for further examination. He chuckled. He'd never seen a spider this black who had a marking that looked like an arrow on her back._

 

 

“We're running out of reading material. You promised to teach us Old Norse. We need someone to learn with, because for all I love Thor, he isn't exactly teacher material.”, Bruce told the sleeping figure on the bed, who had not moved an inch by himself in the last three weeks.

Tony lay besides him in apathy.

“Loki, really. Tony has not been down in the lab for the whole time you're playing Sleeping Beauty here. Shall I call Hulk? He likes you, you know, but he likes smashing a lot more. We'll punch you awake if we need to.”

 

 

_The stars were a bit brighter than before. The shooting star flew past him again. The spider tickled his neck, and he smiled a little. The rumbling returned ever so often, and another sound had mixed into the silence, a roar, akin to a yell._

_Someone was calling for him. Loki concentrated._

 

 

“You know, I lied when I told you that love is for children. But you must have seen through it easily enough, didn't you? Come back to us, you idiot. We love you.”

 

“Loki, please, come back. I need you. Heimdall won't let me near the Bifröst without you. And you haven't given Pepper the latest return in your little war. She's waiting for it.”

 

“You seriously want to turn this into a challenge? I've slept for 70 years, so good luck on repeating that. We'll still be here when you wake up, just that we're clear, and then you better be prepared to get an earful.”

 

 

_The Darkness around him lifted. It seemed as if it wanted to let him go, to say goodbye._

“ _I'll remember you. You're a part of me.”, Loki said. The spider crawled over his knee, and the shooting star came back. This time, it went directly for him._

 

 

“Look, Reindeer Games, I've got a present for you! I found your clothes. You know, the leather thingy you wore when you arrived on my roof last year, after the whole Invasion ordeal.”

Tony did not expect a response as he put the garb onto a chair, so he jumped and squeaked really high when he heard a soft, rumbling chuckle.

“Really?”

Oh gods, Tonys knees turned to mush as he registered that voice. Smooth in all it's roughness for not being used in weeks, but deep and welcome all the more.

“Lokes.”, he whispered and stumbled to the bed, where soft green eyes stared up to him.

“Please don't be a dream.”, Tony begged, before scrambling onto the mattress and pinching is eyes closed for a second.

The ruffling of sheets had him open them again. Loki lifted himself up into a sitting position, wincing a bit.

“Gosh, I'm sore.”, he breathed, before looking at Tony again.

“You're awake.”

Loki nodded.

“I'm sorry.”

Tony shook his head, leaning their foreheads together.

“It's okay, you're back. It's all that matters now. You're back.”, he repeated, before embracing the taller man and pressing them together. Loki put his arms around the broad shoulders.

“There was darkness, so much darkness. But you called out to me, and I wanted to follow it.”

Tony breathed at his neck, softly nibbling at the flesh. Loki shivered.

“Yeah, we thought that if we annoyed you long enough, you would eventually come around and wake up just to shut us up. Did it work?”

Loki kissed him, hands cupping Tony's wonderful warm face. _My shooting star._

“I'll never want to miss any of your voices ever again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished!  
> Thank you all for staying with me, special thanks to all of you who left feedback for my poor ego! You are wonderful :)  
> I hope you enjoyed it and we'll see us again with some other plot!

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to point out any things that don't add up or make sense. I've lost count over the times I've confused myself.


End file.
